WorldWideScience

Sample records for learning research methods

  1. e-Learning Business Research Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowie, Jonathan

    2004-01-01

    This paper outlines the development of a generic Business Research Methods course from a simple name in a box to a full e-Learning web based module. It highlights particular issues surrounding the nature of the discipline and the integration of a large number of cross faculty subject specific research methods courses into a single generic module.…

  2. Empowering and Engaging Students in Learning Research Methods

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    Liu, Shuang; Breit, Rhonda

    2013-01-01

    The capacity to conduct research is essential for university graduates to survive and thrive in their future career. However, research methods courses have often been considered by students as "abstract", "uninteresting", and "hard". Thus, motivating students to engage in the process of learning research methods has become a crucial challenge for…

  3. A Doctoral Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods: Lessons Learned

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzanne Franco

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available New qualitative research methods continue to emerge in response to factors such as renewed interest in mixed methods, better understanding of the importance of a researcher’s philosophical stance, as well as the increased use of technology in data collection and analysis, to name a few. As a result, those facilitating research methods courses must revisit content and instructional strategies in order to prepare well-informed researchers. Approaches range from paradigm to pragmatic emphasis. This descriptive case study of a doctoral seminar for novice qualitative researchers describes the intricacies of the syllabus of a pragmatic approach in a constructivist/social constructionist learning environment. The purpose was to document the delivery and faculty/student interactions and reactions. Noteworthy were the contradictions and frustrations in the delivery as well as in student experiences. In the end, student input led to seminal learning experiences. The confirmation of the effectiveness of a constructivist/social constructivist learning environment is applicable to higher education pedagogy in general.

  4. Learning Practice-Based Research Methods: Capturing the Experiences of MSW Students

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    Natland, Sidsel; Weissinger, Erika; Graaf, Genevieve; Carnochan, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    The literature on teaching research methods to social work students identifies many challenges, such as dealing with the tensions related to producing research relevant to practice, access to data to teach practice-based research, and limited student interest in learning research methods. This is an exploratory study of the learning experiences of…

  5. Educational research methods for researching innovations in teaching, learning and assessment: The nursing lecturer as researcher.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marks-Maran, Diane

    2015-11-01

    The author, who has had previous experience as a nurse researcher, has been engaged in helping nurse lecturers to undertake evaluation research studies into innovations in their teaching, learning and assessment methods. In order to undertake this work successfully, it was important to move from thinking like a nurse researcher to thinking like an educational researcher and developing the role of the nursing lecturer as researcher of their teaching. This article explores the difference between evaluation and evaluation research and argues for the need to use educational research methods when undertaking evaluation research into innovations in teaching, learning and assessment. A new model for educational evaluation research is presented together with two case examples of the model in use. The model has been tested on over 30 research studies into innovations in teaching, learning and assessment over the past 8 years. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Research on demand-oriented Business English learning method

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    Zhou Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Business English is integrated with visual-audio-oral English, which focuses on the application for English listening and speaking skills in common business occasions, and acquire business knowledge and improve skills through English. This paper analyzes the Business English Visual-audio-oral Course, and learning situation of higher vocational students’ learning objectives, interests, vocabulary, listening and speaking, and focuses on the research of effective methods to guide the higher vocational students to learn Business English Visual-audio-oral Course, master Business English knowledge, and improve communicative competence of Business English.

  7. Research on demand-oriented Business English learning method

    OpenAIRE

    Zhou Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Business English is integrated with visual-audio-oral English, which focuses on the application for English listening and speaking skills in common business occasions, and acquire business knowledge and improve skills through English. This paper analyzes the Business English Visual-audio-oral Course, and learning situation of higher vocational students’ learning objectives, interests, vocabulary, listening and speaking, and focuses on the research of effective methods to guide the higher voca...

  8. Actively Teaching Research Methods with a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mullins, Mary H.

    2017-01-01

    Active learning approaches have shown to improve student learning outcomes and improve the experience of students in the classroom. This article compares a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning style approach to a more traditional teaching method in an undergraduate research methods course. Moving from a more traditional learning environment to…

  9. Listening to Our Students: Understanding How They Learn Research Methods in Geography

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    Keenan, Kevin; Fontaine, Danielle

    2012-01-01

    How undergraduate students learn research methods in geography has been understudied. Existing work has focused on course description from the instructor's perspective. This study, however, uses a grounded theory approach to allow students' voices to shape a new theory of how they themselves say that they learn research methods. Data from two…

  10. Teaching Research Methods and Statistics in eLearning Environments: Pedagogy, Practical Examples, and Possible Futures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rock, Adam J; Coventry, William L; Morgan, Methuen I; Loi, Natasha M

    2016-01-01

    Generally, academic psychologists are mindful of the fact that, for many students, the study of research methods and statistics is anxiety provoking (Gal et al., 1997). Given the ubiquitous and distributed nature of eLearning systems (Nof et al., 2015), teachers of research methods and statistics need to cultivate an understanding of how to effectively use eLearning tools to inspire psychology students to learn. Consequently, the aim of the present paper is to discuss critically how using eLearning systems might engage psychology students in research methods and statistics. First, we critically appraise definitions of eLearning. Second, we examine numerous important pedagogical principles associated with effectively teaching research methods and statistics using eLearning systems. Subsequently, we provide practical examples of our own eLearning-based class activities designed to engage psychology students to learn statistical concepts such as Factor Analysis and Discriminant Function Analysis. Finally, we discuss general trends in eLearning and possible futures that are pertinent to teachers of research methods and statistics in psychology.

  11. Teaching Research Methods and Statistics in eLearning Environments: Pedagogy, Practical Examples, and Possible Futures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rock, Adam J.; Coventry, William L.; Morgan, Methuen I.; Loi, Natasha M.

    2016-01-01

    Generally, academic psychologists are mindful of the fact that, for many students, the study of research methods and statistics is anxiety provoking (Gal et al., 1997). Given the ubiquitous and distributed nature of eLearning systems (Nof et al., 2015), teachers of research methods and statistics need to cultivate an understanding of how to effectively use eLearning tools to inspire psychology students to learn. Consequently, the aim of the present paper is to discuss critically how using eLearning systems might engage psychology students in research methods and statistics. First, we critically appraise definitions of eLearning. Second, we examine numerous important pedagogical principles associated with effectively teaching research methods and statistics using eLearning systems. Subsequently, we provide practical examples of our own eLearning-based class activities designed to engage psychology students to learn statistical concepts such as Factor Analysis and Discriminant Function Analysis. Finally, we discuss general trends in eLearning and possible futures that are pertinent to teachers of research methods and statistics in psychology. PMID:27014147

  12. Teaching Research Methods and Statistics in eLearning Environments:Pedagogy, Practical Examples and Possible Futures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam John Rock

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Generally, academic psychologists are mindful of the fact that, for many students, the study of research methods and statistics is anxiety provoking (Gal, Ginsburg, & Schau, 1997. Given the ubiquitous and distributed nature of eLearning systems (Nof, Ceroni, Jeong, & Moghaddam, 2015, teachers of research methods and statistics need to cultivate an understanding of how to effectively use eLearning tools to inspire psychology students to learn. Consequently, the aim of the present paper is to discuss critically how using eLearning systems might engage psychology students in research methods and statistics. First, we critically appraise definitions of eLearning. Second, we examine numerous important pedagogical principles associated with effectively teaching research methods and statistics using eLearning systems. Subsequently, we provide practical examples of our own eLearning-based class activities designed to engage psychology students to learn statistical concepts such as Factor Analysis and Discriminant Function Analysis. Finally, we discuss general trends in eLearning and possible futures that are pertinent to teachers of research methods and statistics in psychology.

  13. An Activity-based Approach to the Learning and Teaching of Research Methods: Measuring Student Engagement and Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eimear Fallon

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses a research project carried out with 82 final and third year undergraduate students, learning Research Methods prior to undertaking an undergraduate thesis during the academic years 2010 and 2011. The research had two separate, linked objectives, (a to develop a Research Methods module that embraces an activity-based approach to learning in a group environment, (b to improve engagement by all students. The Research Methods module was previously taught through a traditional lecture-based format. Anecdotally, it was felt that student engagement was poor and learning was limited. It was believed that successful completion of the development of this Module would equip students with a deeply-learned battery of research skills to take into their further academic and professional careers. Student learning was achieved through completion of a series of activities based on different research methods. In order to encourage student engagement, a wide variety of activities were used. These activities included workshops, brainstorming, mind-mapping, presentations, written submissions, peer critiquing, lecture/seminar, and ‘speed dating’ with more senior students and self reflection. Student engagement was measured through a survey based on a U.S. National Survey of Student Engagement (2000. A questionnaire was devised to establish whether, and to what degree, students were engaged in the material that they were learning, while they were learning it. The results of the questionnaire were very encouraging with between 63% and 96% of students answering positively to a range of questions concerning engagement. In terms of the two objectives set, these were satisfactorily met. The module was successfully developed and continues to be delivered, based upon this new and significant level of student engagement.

  14. Incorporating Meaningful Gamification in a Blended Learning Research Methods Class: Examining Student Learning, Engagement, and Affective Outcomes

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    Tan, Meng; Hew, Khe Foon

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we investigated how the use of meaningful gamification affects student learning, engagement, and affective outcomes in a short, 3-day blended learning research methods class using a combination of experimental and qualitative research methods. Twenty-two postgraduates were randomly split into two groups taught by the same…

  15. Research on Language Learning Strategies: Methods, Findings, and Instructional Issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oxford, Rebecca; Crookall, David

    1989-01-01

    Surveys research on formal and informal second-language learning strategies, covering the effectiveness of research methods involving making lists, interviews and thinking aloud, note-taking, diaries, surveys, and training. Suggestions for future and improved research are presented. (131 references) (CB)

  16. APA's Learning Objectives for Research Methods and Statistics in Practice: A Multimethod Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomcho, Thomas J.; Rice, Diana; Foels, Rob; Folmsbee, Leah; Vladescu, Jason; Lissman, Rachel; Matulewicz, Ryan; Bopp, Kara

    2009-01-01

    Research methods and statistics courses constitute a core undergraduate psychology requirement. We analyzed course syllabi and faculty self-reported coverage of both research methods and statistics course learning objectives to assess the concordance with APA's learning objectives (American Psychological Association, 2007). We obtained a sample of…

  17. Research progress in machine learning methods for gene-gene interaction detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Zhe-Ye; Tang, Zi-Jun; Xie, Min-Zhu

    2018-03-20

    Complex diseases are results of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. However, the detection of high-dimensional gene-gene interactions is computationally challenging. In the last two decades, machine-learning approaches have been developed to detect gene-gene interactions with some successes. In this review, we summarize the progress in research on machine learning methods, as applied to gene-gene interaction detection. It systematically examines the principles and limitations of the current machine learning methods used in genome wide association studies (GWAS) to detect gene-gene interactions, such as neural networks (NN), random forest (RF), support vector machines (SVM) and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR), and provides some insights on the future research directions in the field.

  18. Data Mining and Machine Learning Methods for Dementia Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Rui

    2018-01-01

    Patient data in clinical research often includes large amounts of structured information, such as neuroimaging data, neuropsychological test results, and demographic variables. Given the various sources of information, we can develop computerized methods that can be a great help to clinicians to discover hidden patterns in the data. The computerized methods often employ data mining and machine learning algorithms, lending themselves as the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool that assists clinicians in making diagnostic decisions. In this chapter, we review state-of-the-art methods used in dementia research, and briefly introduce some recently proposed algorithms subsequently.

  19. Interprofessional Education and Team-Based Learning in a Research Methods Course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schug, Vicki; Finch-Guthrie, Patricia; Benz, Janet

    2017-12-18

    This article describes team-based pedagogical strategies for a hybrid, four-credit research methods course with students from nursing, exercise, and nutrition science. The research problem of concussion in football, a socially relevant and controversial topic, was used to explore interprofessional perspectives and develop shared problem solving. The course was designed using permanent teams, readiness assurance, application exercises, and peer evaluation to facilitate student achievement of competencies related to interprofessional collaboration and research application. Feedback from students, faculty, and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale was used to evaluate the learning innovation.

  20. Issues in Learning About and Teaching Qualitative Research Methods and Methodology in the Social Sciences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franz Breuer

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available For many qualitative researchers in the social sciences, learning about and teaching qualitative research methods and methodology raises a number of questions. This topic was the focus of a symposium held during the Second Berlin Summer School for Qualitative Research Methods in July 2006. In this contribution, some of the issues discussed during the symposium are taken up and extended, and some basic dimensions underlying these issues are summarized. How qualitative research methods and methodology are taught is closely linked to the ways in which qualitative researchers in the social sciences conceptualize themselves and their discipline. In the following, we distinguish between a paradigmatic and a pragmatic view. From a pragmatic point of view, qualitative research methods are considered research strategies or techniques and can be taught in the sense of recipes with specific steps to be carried out. According to a paradigmatic point of view (strongly inspired by constructivism, qualitative research methods and methodology are conceptualized as a craft to be practiced together by a "master" and an "apprentice." Moreover, the teaching of qualitative research methods also depends heavily on the institutional standing of qualitative compared to quantitative research method. Based on these considerations, five basic dimensions of learning about and teaching qualitative research methods are suggested: ways of teaching (ranging from the presentation of textbook knowledge to cognitive apprenticeship and instructors' experience with these; institutional contexts, including their development and the teaching of qualitative research methods in other than university contexts; the "fit" between personality and method, including relevant personal skills and talents; and, as a special type of instructional context that increasingly has gained importance, distance learning and its implications for learning about and teaching qualitative research methods

  1. e-Research and Learning Theory: What Do Sequence and Process Mining Methods Contribute?

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    Reimann, Peter; Markauskaite, Lina; Bannert, Maria

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses the fundamental question of how data-intensive e-research methods could contribute to the development of learning theories. Using methodological developments in research on self-regulated learning as an example, it argues that current applications of data-driven analytical techniques, such as educational data mining and its…

  2. Stepping beyond the paradigm wars: pluralist methods for research in learning technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris Jones

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper outlines a problem we have found in our own practice when we have been developing new researchers at post-graduate level. When students begin research training and practice, they are often confused between different levels of thinking when they are faced with methods, methodologies and research paradigms. We argue that this confusion arises from the way research methods are taught, embedded and embodied in educational systems. We set out new ways of thinking about levels of research in the field of learning technology. We argue for a problem driven/pragmatic approach to research and consider the range of methods that can be applied as diverse lenses to particular research problems. The problem of developing a coherent approach to research and research methods is not confined to research in learning technology because it is arguably a problem for all educational research and one that also affects an even wider range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary subject areas. For the purposes of this paper we will discuss the problem in relation to research in learning technologies and make a distinction between developmental and basic research that we think is particularly relevant in this field. The paradigms of research adopted have real consequences for the ways research problems are conceived and articulated, and the ways in which research is conducted. This has become an even more pressing concern in the challenging funding climate that researchers now face. We argue that there is not a simple 1 to 1 relationship between levels and most particularly that there usually is not a direct association of particular methods with either a philosophical outlook or paradigm of research. We conclude by recommending a pluralist approach to thinking about research problems and we illustrate this with the suggestion that we should encourage researchers to think in terms of counterpositives. If the researcher suggests one way of doing research in an

  3. Advances in the Use of Neuroscience Methods in Research on Learning and Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Smedt, Bert

    2014-01-01

    Cognitive neuroscience offers a series of tools and methodologies that allow researchers in the field of learning and instruction to complement and extend the knowledge they have accumulated through decades of behavioral research. The appropriateness of these methods depends on the research question at hand. Cognitive neuroscience methods allow…

  4. The Application of Montessori Method in Learning Mathematics: An Experimental Research

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    Faryadi, Qais

    2017-01-01

    The prime objective of this research was to investigate whether the Montessori method of learning helped kindergarten pupils improve their mathematical proficiency, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, besides training them to be responsible learners. Quantitative, qualitative, and observational methods were employed in the investigation.…

  5. Critical Communication Pedagogy and Service Learning in a Mixed-Method Communication Research Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudick, C. Kyle; Golsan, Kathryn B.; Freitag, Jennifer

    2018-01-01

    Course: Mixed-Method Communication Research Methods. Objective: The purpose of this semester-long activity is to provide students with opportunities to cultivate mixed-method communication research skills through a social justice-informed service-learning format. Completing this course, students will be able to: recognize the unique strengths of…

  6. Teaching Research Methods and Statistics in eLearning Environments: Pedagogy, Practical Examples, and Possible Futures

    OpenAIRE

    Rock, Adam J.; Coventry, William L.; Morgan, Methuen I.; Loi, Natasha M.

    2016-01-01

    Generally, academic psychologists are mindful of the fact that, for many students, the study of research methods and statistics is anxiety provoking (Gal, Ginsburg, & Schau, 1997). Given the ubiquitous and distributed nature of eLearning systems (Nof, Ceroni, Jeong, & Moghaddam, 2015), teachers of research methods and statistics need to cultivate an understanding of how to effectively use eLearning tools to inspire psychology students to learn. Consequently, the aim of the present paper is to...

  7. Lessons learned: advantages and disadvantages of mixed method research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malina, Mary A.; Nørreklit, Hanne; Selto, Frank H.

    2011-01-01

    on the use and usefulness of a specialized balanced scorecard; and third, to encourage researchers to actually use multiple methods and sources of data to address the very many accounting phenomena that are not fully understood. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is an opinion piece based...... on the authors' experience conducting a series of longitudinal mixed method studies. Findings – The authors suggest that in many studies, using a mixed method approach provides the best opportunity for addressing research questions. Originality/value – This paper provides encouragement to those who may wish......Purpose – The purpose of this paper is first, to discuss the theoretical assumptions, qualities, problems and myopia of the dominating quantitative and qualitative approaches; second, to describe the methodological lessons that the authors learned while conducting a series of longitudinal studies...

  8. WebMail versus WebApp: Comparing Problem-Based Learning Methods in a Business Research Methods Course

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    Williams van Rooij, Shahron

    2007-01-01

    This study examined the impact of two Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approaches on knowledge transfer, problem-solving self-efficacy, and perceived learning gains among four intact classes of adult learners engaged in a group project in an online undergraduate business research methods course. With two of the classes using a text-only PBL workbook…

  9. Machine-Learning Research

    OpenAIRE

    Dietterich, Thomas G.

    1997-01-01

    Machine-learning research has been making great progress in many directions. This article summarizes four of these directions and discusses some current open problems. The four directions are (1) the improvement of classification accuracy by learning ensembles of classifiers, (2) methods for scaling up supervised learning algorithms, (3) reinforcement learning, and (4) the learning of complex stochastic models.

  10. Using a Mixed Methods Research Design in a Study Investigating the "Heads of e-Learning" Perspective towards Technology Enhanced Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almpanis, Timos

    2016-01-01

    This paper outlines the research design, methodology and methods employed in research conducted in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and focuses on the Heads of e-Learning (HeLs) perspective about Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) by campus-based UK institutions. This paper aims to expand on the research design and the research…

  11. Machine Learning and Data Mining Methods in Diabetes Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavakiotis, Ioannis; Tsave, Olga; Salifoglou, Athanasios; Maglaveras, Nicos; Vlahavas, Ioannis; Chouvarda, Ioanna

    2017-01-01

    The remarkable advances in biotechnology and health sciences have led to a significant production of data, such as high throughput genetic data and clinical information, generated from large Electronic Health Records (EHRs). To this end, application of machine learning and data mining methods in biosciences is presently, more than ever before, vital and indispensable in efforts to transform intelligently all available information into valuable knowledge. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is defined as a group of metabolic disorders exerting significant pressure on human health worldwide. Extensive research in all aspects of diabetes (diagnosis, etiopathophysiology, therapy, etc.) has led to the generation of huge amounts of data. The aim of the present study is to conduct a systematic review of the applications of machine learning, data mining techniques and tools in the field of diabetes research with respect to a) Prediction and Diagnosis, b) Diabetic Complications, c) Genetic Background and Environment, and e) Health Care and Management with the first category appearing to be the most popular. A wide range of machine learning algorithms were employed. In general, 85% of those used were characterized by supervised learning approaches and 15% by unsupervised ones, and more specifically, association rules. Support vector machines (SVM) arise as the most successful and widely used algorithm. Concerning the type of data, clinical datasets were mainly used. The title applications in the selected articles project the usefulness of extracting valuable knowledge leading to new hypotheses targeting deeper understanding and further investigation in DM.

  12. I Can Make a Scientific Research: A Course about Scientific Research Methods, in Which Learning Management System (LMS) Is Used

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özden, Bülent

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in the perception of teacher candidates towards scientific research process and their self-efficacy in this process, during Scientific Research Methods course that has been conducted using "Learning Management System" based on out-of-class learning activities. Being designed as a…

  13. Research on teaching methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oermann, M H

    1990-01-01

    Research on teaching methods in nursing education was categorized into studies on media, CAI, and other nontraditional instructional strategies. While the research differed, some generalizations may be made from the findings. Multimedia, whether it is used for individual or group instruction, is at least as effective as traditional instruction (lecture and lecture-discussion) in promoting cognitive learning, retention of knowledge, and performance. Further study is needed to identify variables that may influence learning and retention. While learner attitudes toward mediated instruction tended to be positive, investigators failed to control for the effect of novelty. Control over intervening variables was lacking in the majority of studies as well. Research indicated that CAI is as effective as other teaching methods in terms of knowledge gain and retention. Attitudes toward CAI tended to be favorable, with similar problems in measurement as those evidenced in studies of media. Chang (1986) also recommends that future research examine the impact of computer-video interactive instruction on students, faculty, and settings. Research is needed on experimental teaching methods, strategies for teaching problem solving and clinical judgment, and ways of improving the traditional lecture and discussion. Limited research in these areas makes generalizations impossible. There is a particular need for research on how to teach students the diagnostic reasoning process and encourage critical thinking, both in terms of appropriate teaching methods and the way in which those strategies should be used. It is interesting that few researchers studied lecture and lecture-discussion except as comparable teaching methods for research on other strategies. Additional research questions may be generated on lecture and discussion in relation to promoting concept learning, an understanding of nursing and other theories, transfer of knowledge, and development of cognitive skills. Few

  14. Mixed-Methods Research in Language Teaching and Learning: Opportunities, Issues and Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riazi, A. Mehdi; Candlin, Christopher N.

    2014-01-01

    This state-of-the-art paper foregrounds mixed-methods research (MMR) in language teaching and learning by discussing and critically reviewing issues related to this newly developed research paradigm. The paper has six sections. The first provides a context for the discussion of MMR through an introductory review of quantitative and qualitative…

  15. Researching transformative learning spaces through learners' stories

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maslo, Elina

    spaces, learning to learn through languages, learners´ stories, qualitative research method Methodology or Methods/Research Instruments or Sources Used A number of semi structured qualitative interviews have been conducted with three learners of Danish as second language. The language learners...... in the paper is on the research process and methodological tools. The goal of this paper is to show, that learners´ stories have a huge potential in researching learning processes. References Benson, P. & D. Nunan (2004). Lerners´ stories. Difference and Diversity in Language Learning. Cambridge University...... to use learners´ stories as a research methodology in the field of learning in general and language learning in particular....

  16. Effect of Methods of Learning and Self Regulated Learning toward Outcomes of Learning Social Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tjalla, Awaluddin; Sofiah, Evi

    2015-01-01

    This research aims to reveal the influence of learning methods and self-regulated learning on students learning scores for Social Studies object. The research was done in Islamic Junior High School (MTs Manba'ul Ulum), Batuceper City Tangerang using quasi-experimental method. The research employed simple random technique to 28 students. Data were…

  17. Research, Boundaries, and Policy in Networked Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    This book presents cutting-edge, peer reviewed research on networked learning organized by three themes: policy in networked learning, researching networked learning, and boundaries in networked learning. The "policy in networked learning" section explores networked learning in relation to policy...... networks, spaces of algorithmic governance and more. The "boundaries in networked learning" section investigates frameworks of students' digital literacy practices, among other important frameworks in digital learning. Lastly, the "research in networked learning" section delves into new research methods...

  18. Learning Evaluation: blending quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balasubramanian, Bijal A; Cohen, Deborah J; Davis, Melinda M; Gunn, Rose; Dickinson, L Miriam; Miller, William L; Crabtree, Benjamin F; Stange, Kurt C

    2015-03-10

    In healthcare change interventions, on-the-ground learning about the implementation process is often lost because of a primary focus on outcome improvements. This paper describes the Learning Evaluation, a methodological approach that blends quality improvement and implementation research methods to study healthcare innovations. Learning Evaluation is an approach to multi-organization assessment. Qualitative and quantitative data are collected to conduct real-time assessment of implementation processes while also assessing changes in context, facilitating quality improvement using run charts and audit and feedback, and generating transportable lessons. Five principles are the foundation of this approach: (1) gather data to describe changes made by healthcare organizations and how changes are implemented; (2) collect process and outcome data relevant to healthcare organizations and to the research team; (3) assess multi-level contextual factors that affect implementation, process, outcome, and transportability; (4) assist healthcare organizations in using data for continuous quality improvement; and (5) operationalize common measurement strategies to generate transportable results. Learning Evaluation principles are applied across organizations by the following: (1) establishing a detailed understanding of the baseline implementation plan; (2) identifying target populations and tracking relevant process measures; (3) collecting and analyzing real-time quantitative and qualitative data on important contextual factors; (4) synthesizing data and emerging findings and sharing with stakeholders on an ongoing basis; and (5) harmonizing and fostering learning from process and outcome data. Application to a multi-site program focused on primary care and behavioral health integration shows the feasibility and utility of Learning Evaluation for generating real-time insights into evolving implementation processes. Learning Evaluation generates systematic and rigorous cross

  19. Online Learning Perceptions and Effectiveness of Research Methods Courses in a Hispanic-Serving Higher Education Institute

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Ming-Tsan Pierre; Cavazos Vela, Javier

    2015-01-01

    In this article, the authors first reviewed related literature on possible factors that influence learning between an online learning (OL) course format and a face-to-face (F2F) course format. The authors investigated OL and F2F learning perceptions and effectiveness of a graduate-level research methods course at a Hispanic-serving institution…

  20. A blended learning approach to teaching sociolinguistic research methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olivier, Jako

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This article reports on the use of Wiktionary, an open source online dictionary, as well as generic wiki pages within a university’s e-learning environment as teaching and learning resources in an Afrikaans sociolinguistics module. In a communal constructivist manner students learnt, but also constructed learning content. From the qualitative research conducted with students it is clear that wikis provide for effective facilitation of a blended learning approach to sociolinguistic research. The use of this medium was positively received, however, some students did prefer handing in assignments in hard copy. The issues of computer literacy and access to the internet were also raised by the respondents. The use of wikis and Wiktionary prompted useful unplanned discussions around reliability and quality of public wikis. The use of a public wiki such as Wiktionary served as encouragement for students as they were able to contribute to the promotion of Afrikaans in this way.

  1. Didactic trajectory of research in mathematics education using research-based learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charitas Indra Prahmana, Rully; Kusumah, Yaya S.; Darhim

    2017-10-01

    This study aims to describe the role of research-based learning in design a learning trajectory of research in mathematics education to enhance research and academic writing skills for pre-service mathematics teachers. The method used is a design research with three stages, namely the preliminary design, teaching experiment, and retrospective analysis. The research subjects are pre-service mathematics teacher class of 2012 from one higher education institution in Tangerang - Indonesia. The use of research-based learning in designing learning trajectory of research in mathematics education plays a crucial role as a trigger to enhancing math department preservice teachers research and academic writing skills. Also, this study also describes the design principles and characteristics of the learning trajectory namely didactic trajectory generated by the role of research-based learning syntax.

  2. Application of Participatory Learning and Action Methods in Educational Technology Research A Rural Bangladeshi Case

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khalid, Md. Saifuddin; Nyvang, Tom

    2013-01-01

    This chapter examines barriers and methods to identify barriers to educational technology in a rural technical vocational education and training institute in Bangladesh. It also examines how the application of participatory learning and action methods can provide information for barrier research ...

  3. Teaching and learning research methods: towards developing a deeper appreciation of their assumptions

    OpenAIRE

    Mendy, John P.

    2016-01-01

    Quite often the approach adopted by tutors to the teaching and learning of research methodology at undergraduate and, sometimes even at postgraduate level, is to teach students to be able to set a question and to go about trying to answer it in the way of research. This is a pragmatic approach to an important area of scholarship which deserves something more special than what is being provided in frequently used books on research methods (see Easterby-Smith et al 2002; Saunders et al 2012). G...

  4. Concept mapping as an empowering method to promote learning, thinking, teaching and research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauri Kalervo Åhlberg

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Results and underpinning of over twenty years of research and development program of concept mapping is presented. Different graphical knowledge presentation tools, especially concept mapping and mind mapping, are compared. There are two main dimensions that differentiate graphical knowledge presentation methods: The first dimension is conceptual explicitness: from mere concepts to flexibly named links and clear propositions in concept maps. The second dimension in the classification system I am suggesting is whether there are pictures or not. Åhlbergʼs and his research groupʼs applications and developments of Novakian concept maps are compared to traditional Novakian concept maps. The main innovations include always using arrowheads to show direction of reading the concept map. Centrality of each concept is estimated from number of links to other concepts. In our empirical research over two decades, number of relevant concepts, and number of relevant propositions in studentsʼ concept maps, have been found to be the best indicators and predictors of meaningful learning. This is used in assessment of learning. Improved concept mapping is presented as a tool to analyze texts. The main innovation is numbering the links to show order of reading the concept map and to make it possible to transform concept map back to the original prose text as closely as possible. In Åhlberg and his research groupʼs research, concept mapping has been tested in all main phases of research, teaching and learning.

  5. Small Private Online Research: A Proposal for A Numerical Methods Course Based on Technology Use and Blended Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cepeda, Francisco Javier Delgado

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a proposed model in blended learning for a numerical methods course evolved from traditional teaching into a research lab in scientific visualization. The blended learning approach sets a differentiated and flexible scheme based on a mobile setup and face to face sessions centered on a net of research challenges. Model is…

  6. WHAT ARE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS PH.D. STUDENTS LEARNING ABOUT AGRIBUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS AND SUBJECT AREAS?

    OpenAIRE

    House, Lisa; Sterns, James A.

    2002-01-01

    This document contains the PowerPoint presentation given by the authors at the 2002 WCC-72 meetings, regarding what agricultural economics Ph.D students are learning about agribusiness research methods and subject areas.

  7. Scaffolding Learning for Practitioner-Scholars: The Philosophy and Design of a Qualitative Research Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slayton, Julie; Samkian, Artineh

    2017-01-01

    We present our approach to a qualitative research methods course to prepare practitioner-scholars for their dissertation and independent research. We explain how an instructor's guide provides consistency and rigor, and in-class activities to scaffold learning, and helps faculty connect the content to students' out-of-school lives. We explain how…

  8. Efficacy of the Cooperative Learning Method on Mathematics Achievement and Attitude: A Meta-Analysis Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capar, Gulfer; Tarim, Kamuran

    2015-01-01

    This research compiles experimental studies from 1988 to 2010 that examined the influence of the cooperative learning method, as compared with that of traditional methods, on mathematics achievement and on attitudes towards mathematics. The related field was searched using the following key words in Turkish "matematik ve isbirlikli ögrenme,…

  9. Research on B Cell Algorithm for Learning to Rank Method Based on Parallel Strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Yuling; Zhang, Hongxian

    2016-01-01

    For the purposes of information retrieval, users must find highly relevant documents from within a system (and often a quite large one comprised of many individual documents) based on input query. Ranking the documents according to their relevance within the system to meet user needs is a challenging endeavor, and a hot research topic-there already exist several rank-learning methods based on machine learning techniques which can generate ranking functions automatically. This paper proposes a parallel B cell algorithm, RankBCA, for rank learning which utilizes a clonal selection mechanism based on biological immunity. The novel algorithm is compared with traditional rank-learning algorithms through experimentation and shown to outperform the others in respect to accuracy, learning time, and convergence rate; taken together, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm indeed effectively and rapidly identifies optimal ranking functions.

  10. Learning Analytics: Challenges and Future Research Directions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vlatko Lukarov

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, learning analytics (LA has attracted a great deal of attention in technology-enhanced learning (TEL research as practitioners, institutions, and researchers are increasingly seeing the potential that LA has to shape the future TEL landscape. Generally, LA deals with the development of methods that harness educational data sets to support the learning process. This paper provides a foundation for future research in LA. It provides a systematic overview on this emerging field and its key concepts through a reference model for LA based on four dimensions, namely data, environments, context (what?, stakeholders (who?, objectives (why?, and methods (how?. It further identifies various challenges and research opportunities in the area of LA in relation to each dimension.

  11. A Comparison between the Effect of Cooperative Learning Teaching Method and Lecture Teaching Method on Students' Learning and Satisfaction Level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadjani, Farzad; Tonkaboni, Forouzan

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present research is to investigate a comparison between the effect of cooperative learning teaching method and lecture teaching method on students' learning and satisfaction level. The research population consisted of all the fourth grade elementary school students of educational district 4 in Shiraz. The statistical population…

  12. The Effect of Peer Review on Student Learning Outcomes in a Research Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowe, Jessica A.; Silva, Tony; Ceresola, Ryan

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we test the effect of in-class student peer review on student learning outcomes using a quasiexperimental design. We provide an assessment of peer review in a quantitative research methods course, which is a traditionally difficult and technical course. Data were collected from 170 students enrolled in four sections of a…

  13. Learning Method, Facilities And Infrastructure, And Learning Resources In Basic Networking For Vocational School

    OpenAIRE

    Pamungkas, Bian Dwi

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to examine the contribution of learning methods on learning output, the contribution of facilities and infrastructure on output learning, the contribution of learning resources on learning output, and the contribution of learning methods, the facilities and infrastructure, and learning resources on learning output. The research design is descriptive causative, using a goal-oriented assessment approach in which the assessment focuses on assessing the achievement of a goal. The ...

  14. Think Pair Share (TPS as Method to Improve Student’s Learning Motivation and Learning Achievement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hetika Hetika

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to find out the application of Think Pair Share (TPS learning method in improving learning motivation and learning achievement in the subject of Introduction to Accounting I of the Accounting Study Program students of Politeknik Harapan Bersama. The Method of data collection in this study used observation method, test method, and documentation method. The research instruments used observation sheet, questionnaire and test question. This research used Class Action Research Design which is an action implementation oriented research, with the aim of improving quality or problem solving in a group by carefully and observing the success rate due to the action. The method of analysis used descriptive qualitative and quantitative analysis method. The results showed that the application of Think Pair Share Learning (TPS Method can improve the Learning Motivation and Achievement. Before the implementation of the action, the obtained score is 67% then in the first cycle increases to 72%, and in the second cycle increasws to 80%. In addition, based on questionnaires distributed to students, it also increases the score of Accounting Learning Motivation where the score in the first cycle of 76% increases to 79%. In addition, in the first cycle, the score of pre test and post test of the students has increased from 68.86 to 76.71 while in the second cycle the score of pre test and post test of students has increased from 79.86 to 84.86.

  15. A snapshot of research in learning technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rhona Sharpe

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The papers in this issue present a convenient snapshot of current research in learning technology, both in their coverage of the issues that concern us and the methods that are being used to investigate them. This issue shows that e-learning researchers are interested in: what technologies are available and explorations of their potential (Nie et al. explore the role of podcasting, how to design technology-mediated learning activities in ways which support specific learning outcomes (Simpson evaluates the role of ‘book raps' in supporting critical thinking, the identification of critical success factors in implementations (Cochrane's observation of three mobile learning projects and how such e-learning initiatives can be sustained within an institutional context (Gunn's examination of the challenges of embedding ‘grass roots' initiatives. Finally e-learning research is concerned with investigating the impact of emerging technologies on education – in this case Traxler's discussion of mobile, largely student-owned, devices. Together these five papers demonstrate the scope of research in learning technology and it is with this in mind that we will soon be referring to this journal by its subtitle: Research in Learning Technology.

  16. Multi-method and innovative approaches to researching the learning and social practices of young digital users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vittadini, Nicoletta; Carlo, Simone; Gilje, Øystein

    2014-01-01

    One of the most significant challenges in researching the social aspects of contemporary societies is to adapt the methodological approach to complex digital media environments. Learning processes take place in this complex environment, and they include formal and informal experiences (learning...... in school, home, and real-virtual communities), peer cultures and inter-generational connections, production and creation as relevant activities, and personal interests as a focal point. Methods used in the study of learning and the social practices of young people must take into account four key issues......: boundaries between online and offline experiences are blurring; young people act performatively, knowingly, or reflexively; and their activities cannot be understood through the use of a single method, but require the use of multiple tools of investigation. The article discusses three methodological issues...

  17. Multi-method and innovative approaches to researching the learning and social practices of young digital users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vittadini, Nicoletta; Carlo, Simone; Gilje, Øystein

    2012-01-01

    One of the most significant challenges in researching the social aspects of contemporary societies is to adapt the methodological approach to complex digital media environments. Learning processes take place in this complex environment, and they include formal and informal experiences (learning...... in school, home, and real-virtual communities), peer cultures and intergenerational connections, production and creation as relevant activities, and personal interests as a focal point. Methods used in the study of learning and the social practices of young people must take into account four key issues......: boundaries between online and offline experiences are blurring; young people act performatively; young people act knowingly or reflexively; and the activities of young people cannot be understood through the use of a single method but require the use of multiple tools of investigation. The article discusses...

  18. Conversational Analysis as a Method for Research on Intercultural Learning: A Report on a Project with the Aim of "Learning by Undertaking Research"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriele Berkenbusch

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Conversational analysis—situated between pragmatic linguistics and qualitative empirical research—is a complex method, which needs a lot of time and dedication. It is necessary to develop a so-called “analytical mentality”. The aim of the project presented in this paper was to develop the theoretical insights and the practical skills of a group of students for this kind of research. They worked together throughout the duration of the project, especially in the collec¬tion of empiric material: i.e. the recording of conversations between foreign and German stu¬dents, the transcription of the material, a group discussion on the data and finally its analysis. This articles aims at showing what students can learn by doing this kind of work, based on examples of the collected empirical material: (1 they will be introduced to the different levels and stages of the research process and have the chance to develop a methodical and methodological competence; (2 their general communicative competences and their special competences of the foreign language will increase, as well as (3 their knowledge of intercultural learning by working with authentic data of intercultural communication. So, for instance, stereotypes and how they have been constructed during the interaction may be analysed and precisely described on a micro-analytical level. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0901335

  19. Introducing problem-based learning into research methods teaching: student and facilitator evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlisle, Caroline; Ibbotson, Tracy

    2005-10-01

    The evidence base for the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) has never been substantively established, although PBL is a generally accepted approach to learning in health care curricula. PBL is believed to encourage transferable skills, including problem-solving and team-working. PBL was used to deliver a postgraduate research methods module and a small evaluation study to explore its efficacy was conducted amongst the students (n = 51) and facilitators (n = 6). The study comprised of an evaluation questionnaire, distributed after each themed group of PBL sessions, and a group discussion conducted 4 weeks after the conclusion of the module, which was attended by student representatives and the facilitators. Questionnaire data was analysed using SPSS, and a transcript of the interview was subjected to content analysis. The results indicated that students felt that a PBL approach helped to make the subject matter more interesting to them and they believed that they would retain knowledge for a longer period than if their learning had used a more traditional lecture format. Students also perceived that PBL was effective in its ability to enhance students' understanding of the group process. All those involved in the PBL process reinforced the pivotal role of the facilitator. This study indicates that there is potential for PBL to be used beyond the more usual clinical scenarios constructed for health care professional education and further exploration of its use in areas such as building research capability should be undertaken.

  20. Research on Mobile Learning Activities Applying Tablets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Juskeviciene, Anita; Bireniene, Virginija

    2015-01-01

    The paper aims to present current research on mobile learning activities in Lithuania while implementing flagship EU-funded CCL project on application of tablet computers in education. In the paper, the quality of modern mobile learning activities based on learning personalisation, problem solving, collaboration, and flipped class methods is…

  1. A Synthesis of the Literature on Research Methods Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earley, Mark A.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this research synthesis is to examine the current research on teaching and learning research methods. The aims are to understand the themes present in the current literature and identify gaps in our understanding of how we teach, and how students learn, research methods. A synthesis of 89 studies generated three themes: (1)…

  2. A Scale Development for Teacher Competencies on Cooperative Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocabas, Ayfer; Erbil, Deniz Gokce

    2017-01-01

    Cooperative learning method is a learning method studied both in Turkey and in the world for long years as an active learning method. Although cooperative learning method takes place in training programs, it cannot be implemented completely in the direction of its principles. The results of the researches point out that teachers have problems with…

  3. Reframing Photovoice to Boost Its Potential for Learning Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucian Ciolan

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Visual methods are not new within education research field, but they are certainly an innovative approach, especially in higher education where students’ voice is understood as a central need. In this positional article, the authors intend to accomplish two key objectives. First, the article aims to emphasize that visual method, especially photovoice, can be enriching for studying the ways students engage in learning activities and support authentic conversations about how learning takes place and what students are thinking about this process (metacognition. The second objective is to set theoretical and methodological grounds to apply visually based methods such as photovoice and bubble dialogue in education research, particularly in learning research area. The considerations regarding specific methodological aspects are based on the discussion of a study conducted by using photovoice methodology. The authors suggest that participatory analysis and particularly interpretative phenomenological analysis are appropriate to complete the process of data analysis. The article, therefore, contributes to expanding knowledge about specific visual methods and set the ground for methodological innovation in learning research.

  4. Mixed-Method Research on Learning Vocabulary through Technology Reveals Vocabulary Growth in Second-Grade Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, SuHua

    2015-01-01

    A mixed-method embedded research design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of the integration of technology for second-grade students' vocabulary development and learning. Two second-grade classes with a total of 40 students (21 boys and 19 girls) were randomly selected to participate in this study for the course of a semester. One…

  5. Deep kernel learning method for SAR image target recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiuyuan; Peng, Xiyuan; Duan, Ran; Li, Junbao

    2017-10-01

    With the development of deep learning, research on image target recognition has made great progress in recent years. Remote sensing detection urgently requires target recognition for military, geographic, and other scientific research. This paper aims to solve the synthetic aperture radar image target recognition problem by combining deep and kernel learning. The model, which has a multilayer multiple kernel structure, is optimized layer by layer with the parameters of Support Vector Machine and a gradient descent algorithm. This new deep kernel learning method improves accuracy and achieves competitive recognition results compared with other learning methods.

  6. Integrating Research Skills Training into Non--Research Methods Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolf, Jules

    2014-01-01

    Research skills are a valued commodity by industry and university administrators. Despite the importance placed on these skills students typically dislike taking research method courses where these skills are learned. However, training in research skills does not necessarily have to be confined to these courses. In this study participants at a…

  7. Statistical learning methods in high-energy and astrophysics analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zimmermann, J. [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Zentrallabor fuer Elektronik, 52425 Juelich (Germany) and Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany)]. E-mail: zimmerm@mppmu.mpg.de; Kiesling, C. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany)

    2004-11-21

    We discuss several popular statistical learning methods used in high-energy- and astro-physics analysis. After a short motivation for statistical learning we present the most popular algorithms and discuss several examples from current research in particle- and astro-physics. The statistical learning methods are compared with each other and with standard methods for the respective application.

  8. Statistical learning methods in high-energy and astrophysics analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmermann, J.; Kiesling, C.

    2004-01-01

    We discuss several popular statistical learning methods used in high-energy- and astro-physics analysis. After a short motivation for statistical learning we present the most popular algorithms and discuss several examples from current research in particle- and astro-physics. The statistical learning methods are compared with each other and with standard methods for the respective application

  9. The Development Of Learning Sets And Research Methodology Module Using Problem Based Learning For Accounting Education Students

    OpenAIRE

    Thomas, Partono; Nurkhin, Ahmad

    2016-01-01

    Improving the learning process is very important for every lecturer by implement innovative learning methods or media. The purpose of this study is to develop a research methodology learning instruction and module based of problem based learning for accounting education students. This research applied research and development design in the research methodology course in Economics Education (Accounting) Department, Faculty Of Economics, Semarang State University. Data analysis was used to test...

  10. Researching Design, Experience and Practice of Networked Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hodgson, Vivien; de Laat, Maarten; McConnell, David

    2014-01-01

    and final section draws attention to a growing topic of interest within networked learning: that of networked learning in informal practices. In addition, we provide a reflection on the theories, methods and settings featured in the networked learning research of the chapters. We conclude the introduction...

  11. Mobile learning research: caught between two paradigms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sandberg, J.; Maris, M.; Arnedillo Sánchez, I.; Isaías, P.

    2011-01-01

    A review of mobile learning research shows that studies take various research approaches and apply a varied number of research methods, ranging from primarily quantitative and experimental to purely qualitative and descriptive. This paper presents a classification framework to position mobile

  12. Optimizing How We Teach Research Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cvancara, Kristen E.

    2017-01-01

    Courses: Research Methods (undergraduate or graduate level). Objective: The aim of this exercise is to optimize the ability for students to integrate an understanding of various methodologies across research paradigms within a 15-week semester, including a review of procedural steps and experiential learning activities to practice each method, a…

  13. Effect of Chemistry Triangle Oriented Learning Media on Cooperative, Individual and Conventional Method on Chemistry Learning Result

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latisma D, L.; Kurniawan, W.; Seprima, S.; Nirbayani, E. S.; Ellizar, E.; Hardeli, H.

    2018-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to see which method are well used with the Chemistry Triangle-oriented learning media. This quasi experimental research involves first grade of senior high school students in six schools namely each two SMA N in Solok city, in Pasaman and two SMKN in Pariaman. The sampling technique was done by Cluster Random Sampling. Data were collected by test and analyzed by one-way anova and Kruskall Wallish test. The results showed that the high school students in Solok learning taught by cooperative method is better than the results of student learning taught by conventional and Individual methods, both for students who have high initial ability and low-ability. Research in SMK showed that the overall student learning outcomes taught by conventional method is better than the student learning outcomes taught by cooperative and individual methods. Student learning outcomes that have high initial ability taught by individual method is better than student learning outcomes that are taught by cooperative method and for students who have low initial ability, there is no difference in student learning outcomes taught by cooperative, individual and conventional methods. Learning in high school in Pasaman showed no significant difference in learning outcomes of the three methods undertaken.

  14. "Having to Shift Everything We've Learned to the Side": Expanding Research Methods Taught in Psychology to Incorporate Qualitative Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Lynne D; Castell, Emily

    2016-01-01

    In Australia the tradition of conducting quantitative psychological research within a positivist framework has been challenged, with calls made for the inclusion of the full range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies within the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Despite this, the undergraduate psychology curriculum in most Australian universities retains a strong focus on teaching quantitative research methods. Limited research has examined attitudes toward qualitative research held by undergraduate psychology students taught within a positivist framework, and whether these attitudes are malleable and can be changed through teaching qualitative methodologies. Previous research has suggested that students from strong quantitative backgrounds experience some cognitive dissonance and greater difficulties in learning qualitative methods. In this article we examine 3rd year undergraduate psychology students' attitudes to qualitative research prior to commencing and upon completion of a qualitative research unit. All students had previously completed two 13 weeks units of study in quantitative research methods. At Time 1, 63 students (84.1% female) completed online surveys comprising attitudinal measures. Key themes to emerge from student comments were that qualitative research was seen as an alternative approach, representing a paradigmatic shift that was construed by some students advantageous for meeting future professional and educative goals. Quantitative measures of attitudes to qualitative research were associated with general attitudes toward research, and psychology-specific epistemological beliefs. Changes in attitudes following completion of the qualitative research methods unit were in the hypothesized direction, but non-significant (small effect sizes). The findings increase our understanding of psychology students' attitudes toward qualitative research and inform our recommendations for teaching research methods within the undergraduate

  15. Research-based active-learning instruction in physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meltzer, David E.; Thornton, Ronald K.

    2013-04-01

    The development of research-based active-learning instructional methods in physics has significantly altered the landscape of U.S. physics education during the past 20 years. Based on a recent review [D.E. Meltzer and R.K. Thornton, Am. J. Phys. 80, 478 (2012)], we define these methods as those (1) explicitly based on research in the learning and teaching of physics, (2) that incorporate classroom and/or laboratory activities that require students to express their thinking through speaking, writing, or other actions that go beyond listening and the copying of notes, or execution of prescribed procedures, and (3) that have been tested repeatedly in actual classroom settings and have yielded objective evidence of improved student learning. We describe some key features common to methods in current use. These features focus on (a) recognizing and addressing students' physics ideas, and (b) guiding students to solve problems in realistic physical settings, in novel and diverse contexts, and to justify or explain the reasoning they have used.

  16. Investigating Learning with an Interactive Tutorial: A Mixed-Methods Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Villiers, M. R.; Becker, Daphne

    2017-01-01

    From the perspective of parallel mixed-methods research, this paper describes interactivity research that employed usability-testing technology to analyse cognitive learning processes; personal learning styles and times; and errors-and-recovery of learners using an interactive e-learning tutorial called "Relations." "Relations"…

  17. Service Learning: Applications and Research in Business

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrews, Christine P.

    2007-01-01

    Researchers have described "service learning" as an ideal way to integrate experiential education into coursework while meeting community needs and imbuing students with civic responsibility. They have advocated service learning in business as a method to implement course concepts and increase student understanding of the external environment. In…

  18. The Next Era: Deep Learning in Pharmaceutical Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ekins, Sean

    2016-11-01

    Over the past decade we have witnessed the increasing sophistication of machine learning algorithms applied in daily use from internet searches, voice recognition, social network software to machine vision software in cameras, phones, robots and self-driving cars. Pharmaceutical research has also seen its fair share of machine learning developments. For example, applying such methods to mine the growing datasets that are created in drug discovery not only enables us to learn from the past but to predict a molecule's properties and behavior in future. The latest machine learning algorithm garnering significant attention is deep learning, which is an artificial neural network with multiple hidden layers. Publications over the last 3 years suggest that this algorithm may have advantages over previous machine learning methods and offer a slight but discernable edge in predictive performance. The time has come for a balanced review of this technique but also to apply machine learning methods such as deep learning across a wider array of endpoints relevant to pharmaceutical research for which the datasets are growing such as physicochemical property prediction, formulation prediction, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/Tox), target prediction and skin permeation, etc. We also show that there are many potential applications of deep learning beyond cheminformatics. It will be important to perform prospective testing (which has been carried out rarely to date) in order to convince skeptics that there will be benefits from investing in this technique.

  19. Infusing Active Learning into the Research Methods Unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bluestone, Cheryl

    2007-01-01

    The research methods unit of survey psychology classes introduces important concepts of scientific reasoning and fluency, making it an ideal course in which to deliver enhanced curricula. To increase interest and engagement, the author developed an expanded research methods and statistics module to give students the opportunity to explore…

  20. “Having to Shift Everything We’ve Learned to the Side”: Expanding Research Methods Taught in Psychology to Incorporate Qualitative Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Lynne D.; Castell, Emily

    2016-01-01

    In Australia the tradition of conducting quantitative psychological research within a positivist framework has been challenged, with calls made for the inclusion of the full range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies within the undergraduate psychology curriculum. Despite this, the undergraduate psychology curriculum in most Australian universities retains a strong focus on teaching quantitative research methods. Limited research has examined attitudes toward qualitative research held by undergraduate psychology students taught within a positivist framework, and whether these attitudes are malleable and can be changed through teaching qualitative methodologies. Previous research has suggested that students from strong quantitative backgrounds experience some cognitive dissonance and greater difficulties in learning qualitative methods. In this article we examine 3rd year undergraduate psychology students’ attitudes to qualitative research prior to commencing and upon completion of a qualitative research unit. All students had previously completed two 13 weeks units of study in quantitative research methods. At Time 1, 63 students (84.1% female) completed online surveys comprising attitudinal measures. Key themes to emerge from student comments were that qualitative research was seen as an alternative approach, representing a paradigmatic shift that was construed by some students advantageous for meeting future professional and educative goals. Quantitative measures of attitudes to qualitative research were associated with general attitudes toward research, and psychology-specific epistemological beliefs. Changes in attitudes following completion of the qualitative research methods unit were in the hypothesized direction, but non-significant (small effect sizes). The findings increase our understanding of psychology students’ attitudes toward qualitative research and inform our recommendations for teaching research methods within the undergraduate

  1. Understanding Learning in World Society: Qualitative Reconstructive Research in Global Learning and Learning for Sustainability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scheunpflug, Annette; Krogull, Susanne; Franz, Julia

    2016-01-01

    Global learning aims to change behaviour and attitudes. Changes in these areas are not easy to assess. This article discusses the documentary method, which belongs to the group of qualitative reconstructive research methods. The authors argue that this method allows reflection on collective orientations and tacit knowledge. The different steps of…

  2. Researching into Learning Resources in Colleges and Universities. The Practical Research Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgins, Chris; Reading, Judy; Taylor, Paul

    This book examines issues and methods for conducting research into the educational resource environment in colleges and universities. That environment is defined as whatever is used to facilitate the learning process, including learning space, support staff, and teaching staff. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the series and lays out the process of…

  3. Handbook of design research methods in education innovations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning and teaching

    CERN Document Server

    Lesh, Richard A; Baek, John Y

    2008-01-01

    This Handbook presents the latest thinking and current examples of design research in education. Design-based research involves introducing innovations into real-world practices (as opposed to constrained laboratory contexts) and examining the impact of those designs on the learning process. Designed prototype applications (e.g., instructional methods, software or materials) and the research findings are then cycled back into the next iteration of the design innovation in order to build evidence of the particular theories being researched, and to positively impact practice and the diffusion of the innovation. The Handbook of Design Research Methods in Education-- the defining book for the field -- fills a need in how to conduct design research by those doing so right now. The chapters represent a broad array of interpretations and examples of how today's design researchers conceptualize this emergent methodology across areas as diverse as educational leadership, diffusion of innovations, complexity theory, an...

  4. Understanding Sample Surveys: Selective Learning about Social Science Research Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currin-Percival, Mary; Johnson, Martin

    2010-01-01

    We investigate differences in what students learn about survey methodology in a class on public opinion presented in two critically different ways: with the inclusion or exclusion of an original research project using a random-digit-dial telephone survey. Using a quasi-experimental design and data obtained from pretests and posttests in two public…

  5. Collaborative action research: implementation of cooperative learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith-Stoner, Marilyn; Molle, Mary E

    2010-06-01

    Nurse educators must continually improve their teaching skills through innovation. However, research about the process used by faculty members to transform their teaching methods is limited. This collaborative study uses classroom action research to describe, analyze, and address problems encountered in implementing cooperative learning in two undergraduate nursing courses. After four rounds of action and reflection, the following themes emerged: students did not understand the need for structured cooperative learning; classroom structure and seating arrangement influenced the effectiveness of activities; highly structured activities engaged the students; and short, targeted activities that involved novel content were most effective. These findings indicate that designing specific activities to prepare students for class is critical to cooperative learning. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  6. SMALL GROUP LEARNING METHODS AND THEIR EFFECT ON LEARNERS’ RELATIONSHIPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Radka Borůvková

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Building relationships in the classroom is an essential part of any teacher's career. Having healthy teacher-to-learner and learner-to-learner relationships is an effective way to help prevent pedagogical failure, social conflict and quarrelsome behavior. Many strategies are available that can be used to achieve good long-lasting relationships in the classroom setting. Successful teachers’ pedagogical work in the classroom requires detailed knowledge of learners’ relationships. Good understanding of the relationships is necessary, especially in the case of teenagers’ class. This sensitive period of adolescence demands attention of all teachers who should deal with the problems of their learners. Special care should be focused on children that are out of their classmates’ interest (so called isolated learners or isolates in such class and on possibilities to integrate them into the class. Natural idea how to do it is that of using some modern non-traditional teaching/learning methods, especially the methods based on work in small groups involving learners’ cooperation. Small group education (especially problem-based learning, project-based learning, cooperative learning, collaborative learning or inquire-based learning as one of these methods involves a high degree of interaction. The effectiveness of learning groups is determined by the extent to which the interaction enables members to clarify their own understanding, build upon each other's contributions, sift out meanings, ask and answer questions. An influence of this kind of methods (especially cooperative learning (CL on learners’ relationships was a subject of the further described research. Within the small group education, students work with their classmates to solve complex and authentic problems that help develop content knowledge as well as problem-solving, reasoning, communication, and self-assessment skills. The aim of the research was to answer the question: Can the

  7. Toward Transdisciplinary Research by Means of Cooperative Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Aureliano Betancourt Bethencourt

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is based on the observation that fifth year Medicine students do not have enough skills in statistics, IT, or information management to adequately prepare and implement research projects. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to describe the experiences obtained by using the cooperative learning method and to present the results obtained by students in their research projects.  In order to meet the proposed objectives the cooperative learning method was applied to several topics of the Public Health course in the Medical Program.  Consequently, students were divided into five groups to interact with health care specialists and workers, workers from other sectors, and the general public. They identified the most urgent health problems in a participative manner and conducted a research project. The students’ acceptance of the method was evaluated using an exploratory statistical technique.  As a result, students analyzed data, drew conclusions, and participated in debates having the professor as the facilitator and coordinator. All groups successfully presented the results of their research projects, which included 2 projects on the control of Dengue and the Aedes aegypti mosquito and 3 on potential maternal mortality risks. Surveys reflected acceptance of the method.  The experiences obtained by using the cooperative learning technique and the results obtained by students in their projects are described; this experience should be systematized.

  8. Learning Method and Its Influence on Nutrition Study Results Throwing the Ball

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samsudin; Nugraha, Bayu

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to know the difference between playing and learning methods of exploratory learning methods to learning outcomes throwing the ball. In addition, this study also aimed to determine the effect of nutritional status of these two learning methods mentioned above. This research was conducted at SDN Cipinang Besar Selatan 16 Pagi East…

  9. Integrating qualitative research methods into care improvement efforts within a learning health system: addressing antibiotic overuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munoz-Plaza, Corrine E; Parry, Carla; Hahn, Erin E; Tang, Tania; Nguyen, Huong Q; Gould, Michael K; Kanter, Michael H; Sharp, Adam L

    2016-08-15

    Despite reports advocating for integration of research into healthcare delivery, scant literature exists describing how this can be accomplished. Examples highlighting application of qualitative research methods embedded into a healthcare system are particularly needed. This article describes the process and value of embedding qualitative research as the second phase of an explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis. Purposive sampling of providers for in-depth interviews improved understanding of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing and elicited stakeholder recommendations for improvement. Qualitative data collection, transcription and constant comparative analyses occurred iteratively. Emerging themes and sub-themes identified primary drivers of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing patterns and recommendations for improving practice. These findings informed the design of a health system intervention to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis. Core components of the intervention are also described. Qualitative research can be effectively applied in learning healthcare systems to elucidate quantitative results and inform improvement efforts.

  10. Teachers' and Researchers' Beliefs of Learning and the use of Learning Progressions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clapp, Francis Neely

    In the last decade, science education reform in the United States has emphasized the exploration of cognitive learning pathways, which are theories on how a person learns a particular science subject matter. These theories are based, in part, by Piagetian developmental theory. One such model, called Learning Progressions (LP), has become prominent within science education reform. Science education researchers design LPs which in turn are used by science educators to sequence their curricula. The new national science standards released in April 2013 (Next Generation Science Standards) are, in part, grounded in the LP model. Understanding how teachers apply and use LPs, therefore, is valuable because professional development programs are likely to use this model, given the federal attention LP have received in science education reform. I sought to identify the beliefs and discourse that both LP developers and intended LP implementers have around student learning, teaching, and learning progressions. However, studies measuring beliefs or perspectives of LP-focused projects are absent in published works. A qualitative research is therefore warranted to explore this rather uncharted research area. Research questions were examined through the use of an instrumental case study. A case study approach was selected over other methodologies, as the research problem is, in part, bound within a clearly identifiable case (a professional development experience centering on a single LP model). One of the broadest definitions of a case study is noted by Becker (1968), who stated that goals of case studies are "to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the groups under study" and to develop "general theoretical statements about regularities in social structure and process." (p.233). Based on Merriam (1985) the general consensus in the case study literature is that the assumptions underlying this method are common to naturalistic inquiry with research conducted primarily in the

  11. Development of a Research Methods and Statistics Concept Inventory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Veilleux, Jennifer C.; Chapman, Kate M.

    2017-01-01

    Research methods and statistics are core courses in the undergraduate psychology major. To assess learning outcomes, it would be useful to have a measure that assesses research methods and statistical literacy beyond course grades. In two studies, we developed and provided initial validation results for a research methods and statistical knowledge…

  12. Science of learning is learning of science: why we need a dialectical approach to science education research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Wolff-Michael

    2012-06-01

    Research on learning science in informal settings and the formal (sometimes experimental) study of learning in classrooms or psychological laboratories tend to be separate domains, even drawing on different theories and methods. These differences make it difficult to compare knowing and learning observed in one paradigm/context with those observed in the other. Even more interestingly, the scientists studying science learning rarely consider their own learning in relation to the phenomena they study. A dialectical, reflexive approach to learning, however, would theorize the movement of an educational science (its learning and development) as a special and general case—subject matter and method—of the phenomenon of learning (in/of) science. In the dialectical approach to the study of science learning, therefore, subject matter, method, and theory fall together. This allows for a perspective in which not only disparate fields of study—school science learning and learning in everyday life—are integrated but also where the progress in the science of science learning coincides with its topic. Following the articulation of a contradictory situation on comparing learning in different settings, I describe the dialectical approach. As a way of providing a concrete example, I then trace the historical movement of my own research group as it simultaneously and alternately studied science learning in formal and informal settings. I conclude by recommending cultural-historical, dialectical approaches to learning and interaction analysis as a context for fruitful interdisciplinary research on science learning within and across different settings.

  13. Learning paradigms in workplace e-learning research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabella Norén Creutz

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to explore the discourses of learning that are actualized in workplace e-learning. It aims to understand how learning is defined in research within this field. The empirical material consists of academic research articles on e-learning in the workplace, published from 2000 to 2013. The findings are presented as four metaphors highlighting four overlapping time periods with different truth regimes: Celebration, Questioning, Reflection and Dissolution. It is found that learning as a phenomenon tends to be marginalized in relation to the digital technology used. Based on this, we discuss a proposal for a more critical and problematized approach to e-learning, and a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities for employees and organizations to acquire knowledge in the digital age.

  14. Are students' impressions of improved learning through active learning methods reflected by improved test scores?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Everly, Marcee C

    2013-02-01

    To report the transformation from lecture to more active learning methods in a maternity nursing course and to evaluate whether student perception of improved learning through active-learning methods is supported by improved test scores. The process of transforming a course into an active-learning model of teaching is described. A voluntary mid-semester survey for student acceptance of the new teaching method was conducted. Course examination results, from both a standardized exam and a cumulative final exam, among students who received lecture in the classroom and students who had active learning activities in the classroom were compared. Active learning activities were very acceptable to students. The majority of students reported learning more from having active-learning activities in the classroom rather than lecture-only and this belief was supported by improved test scores. Students who had active learning activities in the classroom scored significantly higher on a standardized assessment test than students who received lecture only. The findings support the use of student reflection to evaluate the effectiveness of active-learning methods and help validate the use of student reflection of improved learning in other research projects. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. The Effect of WhatsApp Messenger As Mobile Learning Integrated with Group Investigation Method of Learning Achievement

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    Hendrik Pratama

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research was determined the effect of application WhatsApp Messenger in the Group Investigation (GI method on learning achievement. The methods used experimental research with control group pretest-postest design. The sampling procedure used the purposive sampling technique that consists of 17 students as a control group and 17 students as an experimental group. The sample in this research is students in Electrical Engineering Education Study Program. The experimental group used the GI method that integrated with WhatsApp Messenger. The control group used lecture method without social media integration. The collecting data used observation, documentation, interview, questionnaire, and test. The researcher used a t-test for compared the control group and the experimental group’s learning outcomes at an alpha level of 0,05. The results showed differences between the experiment group and the control group. The study result of the experimental higher than the control groups. This learning was designed with start, grouping, planning, presenting, organizing, investigating, evaluating, ending’s stage. Integration of WhatsApp with group investigation method could cause the positive communication between student and lecturer. Discussion in this learning was well done, the student’s knowledge could appear in a group and the information could spread evenly and quickly.

  16. Development of an e-Learning Research Module Using Multimedia Instruction Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowitlawakul, Yanika; Chan, Moon Fai; Tan, Sharon Swee Lin; Soong, Alan Swee Kit; Chan, Sally Wai Chi

    2017-03-01

    Students nowadays feel more comfortable with new technologies, which increase their motivation and, as a result, improve their academic performance. In the last two decades, the use of information communication technology has been increasing in many disciplines in higher education. Online learning or e-learning has been used and integrated into the curriculum around the world. A team of nursing faculty and educational technology specialists have developed an e-learning research module and integrate it into the nursing curriculum. The aim was to assist master of nursing and postgraduate nursing students in developing their research knowledge before and throughout their enrollment in the research course. This e-learning module includes interactive multimedia such as audiovisual presentation, graphical theme, animation, case-based learning, and pretest and posttest for each topic area. The module focuses on three main topic areas: (1) basic research principles (for review), (2) quantitative method, and (3) qualitative method. The e-learning module is an innovative use of the information and communication technology to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes in a local context. This article discusses the development journey, piloting process, including the variety of evaluation perspectives, and the ways in which the results influenced the e-learning resource before its wider distribution.

  17. Students' perspectives of undergraduate research methods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Introduction: in this study we used a model of adult learning to explore undergraduate students' views on how to improve the teaching of research methods and biostatistics. Methods: this was a secondary analysis of survey data of 600 undergraduate students from three medical schools in Uganda. The analysis looked at ...

  18. Creative Approaches to Teaching Graduate Research Methods Workshops

    OpenAIRE

    Peter Reilly

    2017-01-01

    Engagement and deeper learning were enhanced by developing several innovative teaching strategies delivered in Research Methods workshops to Graduate Business Students.  Focusing primarily on students adopting a creative approach to formulating a valid research question for undertaking a dissertation successfully. These techniques are applicable to most subject domains to ensure student engagement.  Addressing the various multiple intelligences and learning styles existing within groups while...

  19. Fostering Sustained Learning among Undergraduate Students: Emerging Research and Opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemosit, Caroline; Rugutt, John; Rugutt, Joseph K.

    2017-01-01

    Keeping students engaged and receptive to learning can, at times, be a challenge. However, by the implementation of new methods and pedagogies, instructors can strengthen the drive to learn among their students. "Fostering Sustained Learning Among Undergraduate Students: Emerging Research and Opportunities" is an essential publication…

  20. An Integrated Mixed Methods Research Design: Example of the Project Foreign Language Learning Strategies and Achievement: Analysis of Strategy Clusters and Sequences

    OpenAIRE

    Vlčková Kateřina

    2014-01-01

    The presentation focused on an so called integrated mixed method research design example on a basis of a Czech Science Foundation Project Nr. GAP407/12/0432 "Foreign Language Learning Strategies and Achievement: Analysis of Strategy Clusters and Sequences". All main integrated parts of the mixed methods research design were discussed: the aim, theoretical framework, research question, methods and validity threats. Prezentace se zaměřovala na tzv. integrovaný vícemetodový výzkumný design na...

  1. Enabling Transformative Learning in the Workplace: An Educative Research Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilhelmson, Lena; Åberg, Marie Moström; Backström, Tomas; Olsson, Bengt Köping

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this article is to discuss the potential of an educative research intervention to influence the quality of the learning outcome in the workplace as interpreted from the perspectives of adult learning theory. The research project was designed as a quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study. In this article, quantitative survey data were…

  2. Learning Specific Content in Technology Education: Learning Study as a Collaborative Method in Swedish Preschool Class Using Hands-On Material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilbrink, Nina; Bjurulf, Veronica; Blomberg, Ingela; Heidkamp, Anja; Hollsten, Ann-Christin

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the process of a learning study conducted in technology education in a Swedish preschool class. The learning study method used in this study is a collaborative method, where researchers and teachers work together as a team concerning teaching and learning about a specific learning object. The object of learning in this study…

  3. Critical thinking instruction and technology enhanced learning from the student perspective: A mixed methods research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swart, Ruth

    2017-03-01

    Critical thinking is acclaimed as a valuable asset for graduates from higher education programs. Technology has advanced in quantity and quality; recognized as a requirement of 21st century learners. A mixed methods research study was undertaken, examining undergraduate nursing student engagement with critical thinking instruction, platformed on two technology-enhanced learning environments: a classroom response system face-to-face in-class and an online discussion forum out-of-class. The Community of Inquiry framed the study capturing constructivist collaborative inquiry to support learning, and facilitate critical thinking capability. Inclusion of quantitative and qualitative data sources aimed to gather a comprehensive understanding of students' development of critical thinking and engagement with technology-enhanced learning. The findings from the students' perspectives were positive toward the inclusion of technology-enhanced learning, and use in supporting their development of critical thinking. Students considered the use of two forms of technology beneficial in meeting different needs and preferences, offering varied means to actively participate in learning. They valued critical thinking instruction being intentionally aligned with subject-specific content facilitating understanding, application, and relevance of course material. While the findings are limited to student participants, the instructional strategies and technology-enhanced learning identified as beneficial can inform course design for the development of critical thinking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Problem-centric Process for Research-based Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khaled Shaban

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Research-based Learning (RbL extends Inquiry and Project-based Learning by facilitating an early stage exposure and training for future scientists through authentic research activities. In this paper, an iterative problem-centric RbL process is introduced, and its activities and management aspects are described. The process helps implement course-integrated research systematically and practically. Furthermore, the novel process follows constructivist methods in incorporating inquiry, scaffolding, open-ended projects, as well as a goal oriented learning approach. The RbL process is adopted in two advanced computing courses, at two different universities: a leading comprehensive Western university and a new university in a developing country. The paper summarizes new lessons learned in these rewarding experiences. In particular, the instructor should help students start their projects, by providing them with previous work or data and pre-approving the papers to review by students. He should also maintain a continuous feedback to and from students to keep the students motivated and help the instructor refine and adapt the RBL process. We note that research collaborators can help students in identifying the research topics early. The paper also shows how to alleviate difficulties that may be encountered by students who find the novel approach demanding, and consequently it also helps the instructors better manage the course contents.

  5. Studying learning in the healthcare setting: the potential of quantitative diary methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciere, Yvette; Jaarsma, Debbie; Visser, Annemieke; Sanderman, Robbert; Snippe, Evelien; Fleer, Joke

    2015-08-01

    Quantitative diary methods are longitudinal approaches that involve the repeated measurement of aspects of peoples' experience of daily life. In this article, we outline the main characteristics and applications of quantitative diary methods and discuss how their use may further research in the field of medical education. Quantitative diary methods offer several methodological advantages, such as measuring aspects of learning with great detail, accuracy and authenticity. Moreover, they enable researchers to study how and under which conditions learning in the health care setting occurs and in which way learning can be promoted. Hence, quantitative diary methods may contribute to theory development and the optimization of teaching methods in medical education.

  6. Development of the Learning Health System Researcher Core Competencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forrest, Christopher B; Chesley, Francis D; Tregear, Michelle L; Mistry, Kamila B

    2017-08-04

    To develop core competencies for learning health system (LHS) researchers to guide the development of training programs. Data were obtained from literature review, expert interviews, a modified Delphi process, and consensus development meetings. The competencies were developed from August to December 2016 using qualitative methods. The literature review formed the basis for the initial draft of a competency domain framework. Key informant semi-structured interviews, a modified Delphi survey, and three expert panel (n = 19 members) consensus development meetings produced the final set of competencies. The iterative development process yielded seven competency domains: (1) systems science; (2) research questions and standards of scientific evidence; (3) research methods; (4) informatics; (5) ethics of research and implementation in health systems; (6) improvement and implementation science; and (7) engagement, leadership, and research management. A total of 33 core competencies were prioritized across these seven domains. The real-world milieu of LHS research, the embeddedness of the researcher within the health system, and engagement of stakeholders are distinguishing characteristics of this emerging field. The LHS researcher core competencies can be used to guide the development of learning objectives, evaluation methods, and curricula for training programs. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  7. Brain Research: Implications for Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, Louise M.; Soares, Anthony T.

    Brain research has illuminated several areas of the learning process: (1) learning as association; (2) learning as reinforcement; (3) learning as perception; (4) learning as imitation; (5) learning as organization; (6) learning as individual style; and (7) learning as brain activity. The classic conditioning model developed by Pavlov advanced…

  8. Students' perspectives of undergraduate research methods education at three public medical schools in Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munabi, Ian Guyton; Buwembo, William; Joseph, Ruberwa; Peter, Kawungezi; Bajunirwe, Francis; Mwaka, Erisa Sabakaki

    2016-01-01

    In this study we used a model of adult learning to explore undergraduate students' views on how to improve the teaching of research methods and biostatistics. This was a secondary analysis of survey data of 600 undergraduate students from three medical schools in Uganda. The analysis looked at student's responses to an open ended section of a questionnaire on their views on undergraduate teaching of research methods and biostatistics. Qualitative phenomenological data analysis was done with a bias towards principles of adult learning. Students appreciated the importance of learning research methods and biostatistics as a way of understanding research problems; appropriately interpreting statistical concepts during their training and post-qualification practice; and translating the knowledge acquired. Stressful teaching environment and inadequate educational resource materials were identified as impediments to effective learning. Suggestions for improved learning included: early and continuous exposure to the course; more active and practical approach to teaching; and a need for mentorship. The current methods of teaching research methods and biostatistics leave most of the students in the dissonance phase of learning resulting in none or poor student engagement that results in a failure to comprehend and/or appreciate the principles governing the use of different research methods.

  9. Machine learning methods for planning

    CERN Document Server

    Minton, Steven

    1993-01-01

    Machine Learning Methods for Planning provides information pertinent to learning methods for planning and scheduling. This book covers a wide variety of learning methods and learning architectures, including analogical, case-based, decision-tree, explanation-based, and reinforcement learning.Organized into 15 chapters, this book begins with an overview of planning and scheduling and describes some representative learning systems that have been developed for these tasks. This text then describes a learning apprentice for calendar management. Other chapters consider the problem of temporal credi

  10. Comparison of Deep Learning With Multiple Machine Learning Methods and Metrics Using Diverse Drug Discovery Data Sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korotcov, Alexandru; Tkachenko, Valery; Russo, Daniel P; Ekins, Sean

    2017-12-04

    Machine learning methods have been applied to many data sets in pharmaceutical research for several decades. The relative ease and availability of fingerprint type molecular descriptors paired with Bayesian methods resulted in the widespread use of this approach for a diverse array of end points relevant to drug discovery. Deep learning is the latest machine learning algorithm attracting attention for many of pharmaceutical applications from docking to virtual screening. Deep learning is based on an artificial neural network with multiple hidden layers and has found considerable traction for many artificial intelligence applications. We have previously suggested the need for a comparison of different machine learning methods with deep learning across an array of varying data sets that is applicable to pharmaceutical research. End points relevant to pharmaceutical research include absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADME/Tox) properties, as well as activity against pathogens and drug discovery data sets. In this study, we have used data sets for solubility, probe-likeness, hERG, KCNQ1, bubonic plague, Chagas, tuberculosis, and malaria to compare different machine learning methods using FCFP6 fingerprints. These data sets represent whole cell screens, individual proteins, physicochemical properties as well as a data set with a complex end point. Our aim was to assess whether deep learning offered any improvement in testing when assessed using an array of metrics including AUC, F1 score, Cohen's kappa, Matthews correlation coefficient and others. Based on ranked normalized scores for the metrics or data sets Deep Neural Networks (DNN) ranked higher than SVM, which in turn was ranked higher than all the other machine learning methods. Visualizing these properties for training and test sets using radar type plots indicates when models are inferior or perhaps over trained. These results also suggest the need for assessing deep learning further

  11. A Systematic Review of Research on the Flipped Learning Method in Engineering Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karabulut-Ilgu, Aliye; Jaramillo Cherrez, Nadia; Jahren, Charles T.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to describe the current state of knowledge and practice in the flipped learning approach in engineering education and to provide guidance for practitioners by critically appraising and summarizing existing research. This article is a qualitative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative research investigating the…

  12. Review of the status of learning in research on sport education: future research and practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araújo, Rui; Mesquita, Isabel; Hastie, Peter A

    2014-12-01

    Research concerning Sport Education's educational impact has shown unequivocal results according to students' personal and social development. Nevertheless, research is still sparse with respect to the model's impact on student learning outcomes. The goal of the present review is to therefore scrutinize what is currently known regarding students' learning during their participation in Sport Education. This research spans a variety of studies, cross various countries, school grades, the sports studied, as well as the methods applied and dimensions of student learning analyzed. While research on the impact of Sport Education on students' learning, as well as teachers' and students' perceptions about student learning has shown students' improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, there is still considerable variance in these results. For example, some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies have identified superior learning opportunities for girls and lower skill-level students. These inconsistent results can be explained by factors not considered in the Sport Education research, such as the effect of time on students' learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units. In this review directions for future research and practice are also described. Future research should define, implement, and evaluate protocols for student-coaches' preparation in order to understand the influence of this issue on students' learning as well as consider the implementation of hybrid approaches. Moreover, future studies should consider the interaction of gender and skill level and a retention test in the analysis of students' learning improvements in order to obtain a more realist and complete portrait of the impact of Sport Education. Finally, in order to reach an entirely understanding of the teaching-learning process, it is necessary to use research designs that

  13. Introduction of active learning method in learning physiology by MBBS students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilkar, Suhail Ahmad; Lone, Shabiruddin; Lone, Riyaz Ahmad

    2016-01-01

    Active learning has received considerable attention over the past several years, often presented or perceived as a radical change from traditional instruction methods. Current research on learning indicates that using a variety of teaching strategies in the classroom increases student participation and learning. To introduce active learning methodology, i.e., "jigsaw technique" in undergraduate medical education and assess the student and faculty response to it. This study was carried out in the Department of Physiology in a Medical College of North India. A topic was chosen and taught using one of the active learning methods (ALMs), i.e., jigsaw technique. An instrument (questionnaire) was developed in English through an extensive review of literature and was properly validated. The students were asked to give their response on a five-point Likert scale. The feedback was kept anonymous. Faculty also provided their feedback in a separately provided feedback proforma. The data were collected, compiled, and analyzed. Of 150 students of MBBS-first year batch 2014, 142 participated in this study along with 14 faculty members of the Physiology Department. The majority of the students (>90%) did welcome the introduction of ALM and strongly recommended the use of such methods in teaching many more topics in future. 100% faculty members were of the opinion that many more topics shall be taken up using ALMs. This study establishes the fact that both the medical students and faculty want a change from the traditional way of passive, teacher-centric learning, to the more active teaching-learning techniques.

  14. Improvement The Acquisition of Research Methodology and Self Regulated Learning through Blog Project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heri Retnawati

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: This classroom action research seeks to improveself-regulated learning (SRL and understanding of research methodology at the graduate school. Nineteen graduate school students were involved. Using project-based learning (PjBL, students were assigned to create online blogs as the main project. The blog was intended for representing their understanding of research methodology by writing review of research articles and submitting a research proposal. The classroom action research was based ona model by Kemmis & McTaggart and was conducted in two cycles. The data were analyzed using mixed methods in which the main data were analyzed qualitatively and further analysed quantitatively. The results of the study showed that after completing the course, students not only gained knowledge about research methods, but were also able to write are search proposal. In addition, the project-based learning could facilitate students to practice their communication skills while writing on their blog and to improve selfegulated learning. Keywords: Action research, project-based learning, blog, self-regulated learning PENINGKATAN PENGUASAAN METODOLOGI PENELITIAN DAN SELF REGULATED LEARNING MELALUI PROJEK BLOG Abstrak: Penelitian tindakan kelas ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kemandirian belajar dan pemahaman metodologi penelitian di sekolah Pascasarjana. Partisipan yang terlibat pada studi ini adalah 19 mahasiswa master di sekolah pascasarjana. Dengan menerapkan pembelajaran berbasis projek (PjBL, mahasiswa diberi tugas membuat blog sebagai projek utama. Projek yang dibuat mahasiswa berupa blog untuk merepresantasikan pemahaman metodologi penelitian mahasiswa melalui tulisan dan usulan penelitian tesis. Penelitian tindakan ini dilaksanakan dalam dua siklus dengan model Kemmis & Taggart. Analisis data dilakukan dengan mixed methods secara kualitatif dengan dilengkapi analisis kuantitatif sebagai pendukung. Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa setelah menyelesaikan

  15. Science of Learning Is Learning of Science: Why We Need a Dialectical Approach to Science Education Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Wolff-Michael

    2012-01-01

    Research on learning science in informal settings and the formal (sometimes experimental) study of learning in classrooms or psychological laboratories tend to be separate domains, even drawing on different theories and methods. These differences make it difficult to compare knowing and learning observed in one paradigm/context with those observed…

  16. Strategy to Promote Active Learning of an Advanced Research Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDermott, Hilary J.; Dovey, Terence M.

    2013-01-01

    Research methods courses aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills required for research yet seldom include practical aspects of assessment. This reflective practitioner report describes and evaluates an innovative approach to teaching and assessing advanced qualitative research methods to final-year psychology undergraduate students. An…

  17. Teachers' learning about research for enhancing students' thinking skills in science learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nammungkhun, Wisanugorn; Satchukorn, Sureerat; Saenpuk, Nudchanard; Yuenyong, Chokchai; Chantharanuwong, Warawun

    2018-01-01

    This paper aimed to clarify teachers' learning about research for enhancing students' thinking skills in science learning. The study applied the lens of sociocultural view of learning to discuss teachers' learning about research. Participants included teachers who participated in the project of thinking research schools: research for enhancing students' thinking skills. The project of thinking research schools provided participants chance to learn knowledge about research and thinking research, doing research and publication, and participate in the international conference. Methodology regarded ethnographic research. The tools of interpretation included participant observation, interview, and document analysis. The researchers as participants of the research project of thinking research schools tried to clarify what they learned about research from their way of seeing the view of research about enhancing students' thinking skills through participant observation. The findings revealed what and how teachers as apprenticeship learn about research through legitimate peripheral participation in the research project community of practice. The paper clarified teachers' conceptualization about research for enhancing students' thinking through the workshop, doing research, writing up research article with supported by experts, presenting research in the international conference, editing their research article on the way of publishing, and so on.

  18. Critical Debates in Teaching Research Methods in the Social Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunn, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    This paper explores some of the critical debates in social science research methods education and is set out in three parts. The first section introduces the importance and relevance of research methods to the social sciences. It then outlines the problems and challenges experienced in the teaching and learning of research methods, which are…

  19. Postgraduate Conception of Research Methodology: Implications for Learning and Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniel, Ben; Kumar, Vijay; Omar, Noritah

    2018-01-01

    This qualitative inquiry investigates postgraduate students' conceptions of research methodology and how it contributes to their learning. It explores factors likely to motivate student choice of research methodology and challenges in understanding research methods. The research was carried out at research-intensive universities in New Zealand and…

  20. Researching workplace learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Christian Helms; Warring, Niels

    2007-01-01

    This article presents a theoretical and methodological framework for understanding and researching learning in the workplace. The workplace is viewed in a societal context and the learner is viewed as more than an employee in order to understand the learning process in relation to the learner......'s life history.Moreover we will explain the need to establish a 'double view' by examining learning in the workplace both as an objective and as a subjective reality. The article is mainly theoretical, but can also be of interest to practitioners who wish to understand learning in the workplace both...

  1. Methodological Challenges for Collaborative Learning Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strijbos, Jan-Willem; Fischer, Frank

    2007-01-01

    Research on collaborative learning, both face-to-face and computer-supported, has thrived in the past 10 years. The studies range from outcome-oriented (individual and group learning) to process-oriented (impact of interaction on learning processes, motivation and organisation of collaboration) to mixed studies. Collaborative learning research is…

  2. Exploring Reticence in Research Methods: The Experience of Studying Psychological Research Methods in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kingsley, Barbara E.; Robertson, Julia M.

    2017-01-01

    As a fundamental element of any psychology degree, the teaching and learning of research methods is repeatedly brought into sharp focus, and it is often regarded as a real challenge by undergraduate students. The reasons for this are complex, but frequently attributed to an aversion of maths. To gain a more detailed understanding of students'…

  3. How to learn action research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kurt Aagaard; Svensson, Lennart

    2006-01-01

    The authors suggest routines and educational structures that could improve a succesfull learning and education of action research.......The authors suggest routines and educational structures that could improve a succesfull learning and education of action research....

  4. Review of the Status of Learning in Research on Sport Education: Future Research and Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araújo, Rui; Mesquita, Isabel; Hastie, Peter A.

    2014-01-01

    Research concerning Sport Education’s educational impact has shown unequivocal results according to students’ personal and social development. Nevertheless, research is still sparse with respect to the model’s impact on student learning outcomes. The goal of the present review is to therefore scrutinize what is currently known regarding students’ learning during their participation in Sport Education. This research spans a variety of studies, cross various countries, school grades, the sports studied, as well as the methods applied and dimensions of student learning analyzed. While research on the impact of Sport Education on students’ learning, as well as teachers’ and students’ perceptions about student learning has shown students’ improvements during the participation in Sport Education seasons, there is still considerable variance in these results. For example, some studies report superior learning opportunities to boys and higher skill-level students while other studies have identified superior learning opportunities for girls and lower skill-level students. These inconsistent results can be explained by factors not considered in the Sport Education research, such as the effect of time on students’ learning and the control of the teaching-learning process within Sport Education units. In this review directions for future research and practice are also described. Future research should define, implement, and evaluate protocols for student-coaches’ preparation in order to understand the influence of this issue on students’ learning as well as consider the implementation of hybrid approaches. Moreover, future studies should consider the interaction of gender and skill level and a retention test in the analysis of students’ learning improvements in order to obtain a more realist and complete portrait of the impact of Sport Education. Finally, in order to reach an entirely understanding of the teaching-learning process, it is necessary to

  5. Cooperative Learning as a Democratic Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erbil, Deniz Gökçe; Kocabas, Ayfer

    2018-01-01

    In this study, the effects of applying the cooperative learning method on the students' attitude toward democracy in an elementary 3rd-grade life studies course was examined. Over the course of 8 weeks, the cooperative learning method was applied with an experimental group, and traditional methods of teaching life studies in 2009, which was still…

  6. Adult Learners' Preferred Methods of Learning Preventative Heart Disease Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alavi, Nasim

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferred method of learning about heart disease by adult learners. This research study also investigated if there was a statistically significant difference between race/ethnicity, age, and gender of adult learners and their preferred method of learning preventative heart disease care. This…

  7. Qualitative methods in workplace learning

    OpenAIRE

    Fabritius, Hannele

    2015-01-01

    Methods of learning in the workplace will be introduced. The methods are connect to competence development and to the process of conducting development discussions in a dialogical way. The tools developed and applied are a fourfold table, a cycle of work identity, a plan of personal development targets, a learning meeting and a learning map. The methods introduced will aim to better learning at work.

  8. Hard to Teach: Inclusive Pedagogy in Social Science Research Methods Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nind, Melanie; Lewthwaite, Sarah

    2018-01-01

    Amidst major new initiatives in research that are beginning to address the pedagogic dimension of building capacity in social science research methods, this paper makes the first move to apply the lens of inclusive pedagogy to research methods pedagogy. The paper explores the ways in which learning social science research methods is hard and may…

  9. From scientifically based research to evidence based learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Cera

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This essay is a reflection on the peculiarities of the scientifically based research and on the distinctive elements of the EBL (evidence based learning, methodology used in the study on the “Relationship between Metacognition, Self-efficacy and Self-regulation in Learning”. The EBL method, based on the standardization of data, explains how the students’ learning experience can be considered as a set of “data” and can be used to explain how and when the research results can be considered generalizable and transferable to other learning situations. The reflections present in this study have also allowed us to illustrate the impact that its results have had on the micro and macro level of reality. They helped to fill in the gaps concerning the learning/teaching processes, contributed to the enrichment of the scientific literature on this subject and allowed to establish standards through rigorous techniques such as systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

  10. Learning a specific content in technology education : Learning Study as collaborative method in Swedish preschool class using hands-on material 

    OpenAIRE

    Kilbrink, Nina; Bjurulf, Veronica; Blomberg, Ingela; Heidkamp, Anja; Hollsten, Ann-Christin

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the process of a learning study conducted in technology education in a Swedish preschool class. The learning study method used in this study is a collaborative method, where researchers and teachers work together as a team concerning teaching and learning about a specific learning object. The object of learning in this study concerns strong constructions and framed structures. This article describes how this learning study was conducted and discusses reflections made du...

  11. e-Learning research: emerging issues?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helen Beetham

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available e-Learning research is an expanding and diversifying field of study. Specialist research units and departments proliferate. Postgraduate courses recruit well in the UK and overseas, with an increasing focus on critical and research-based aspects of the field, as well as the more obvious professional development requirements. Following this year's launch of a National e-Learning Research Centre, it is timely to debate what the field of study should be prioritising for the future. This discussion piece suggests that the focus should fall on questions that are both clear and tractable for researchers, and likely to have a real impact on learners and practitioners. Suggested questions are based on early findings from a series of JISC-funded projects on e-learning and pedagogy.

  12. Hybrid Method for Mobile learning Cooperative: Study of Timor Leste

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Costa Tavares, Ofelia Cizela; Suyoto; Pranowo

    2018-02-01

    In the modern world today the decision support system is very useful to help in solving a problem, so this study discusses the learning process of savings and loan cooperatives in Timor Leste. The purpose of the observation is that the people of Timor Leste are still in the process of learning the use DSS for good saving and loan cooperative process. Based on existing research on the Timor Leste community on credit cooperatives, a mobile application will be built that will help the cooperative learning process in East Timorese society. The methods used for decision making are AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) and SAW (simple additive Weighting) method to see the result of each criterion and the weight of the value. The result of this research is mobile leaning cooperative in decision support system by using SAW and AHP method. Originality Value: Changed the two methods of mobile application development using AHP and SAW methods to help the decision support system process of a savings and credit cooperative in Timor Leste.

  13. Hybrid Method for Mobile learning Cooperative: Study of Timor Leste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    da Costa Tavares Ofelia Cizela

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In the modern world today the decision support system is very useful to help in solving a problem, so this study discusses the learning process of savings and loan cooperatives in Timor Leste. The purpose of the observation is that the people of Timor Leste are still in the process of learning the use DSS for good saving and loan cooperative process. Based on existing research on the Timor Leste community on credit cooperatives, a mobile application will be built that will help the cooperative learning process in East Timorese society. The methods used for decision making are AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process and SAW (simple additive Weighting method to see the result of each criterion and the weight of the value. The result of this research is mobile leaning cooperative in decision support system by using SAW and AHP method. Originality Value: Changed the two methods of mobile application development using AHP and SAW methods to help the decision support system process of a savings and credit cooperative in Timor Leste.

  14. Qualitative Methods in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandermause, Roxanne; Barg, Frances K; Esmail, Laura; Edmundson, Lauren; Girard, Samantha; Perfetti, A Ross

    2017-02-01

    The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), created to fund research guided by patients, caregivers, and the broader health care community, offers a new research venue. Many (41 of 50) first funded projects involved qualitative research methods. This study was completed to examine the current state of the science of qualitative methodologies used in PCORI-funded research. Principal investigators participated in phenomenological interviews to learn (a) how do researchers using qualitative methods experience seeking funding for, implementing and disseminating their work; and (b) how may qualitative methods advance the quality and relevance of evidence for patients? Results showed the experience of doing qualitative research in the current research climate as "Being a bona fide qualitative researcher: Staying true to research aims while negotiating challenges," with overlapping patterns: (a) researching the elemental, (b) expecting surprise, and (c) pushing boundaries. The nature of qualitative work today was explicitly described and is rendered in this article.

  15. Chemical Education Research: Improving Chemistry Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dudley Herron, J.; Nurrenbern, Susan C.

    1999-10-01

    Chemical education research is the systematic investigation of learning grounded in a theoretical foundation that focuses on understanding and improving learning of chemistry. This article reviews many activities, changes, and accomplishments that have taken place in this area of scholarly activity despite its relatively recent emergence as a research area. The article describes how the two predominant broad perspectives of learning, behaviorism and constructivism, have shaped and influenced chemical education research design, analysis, and interpretation during the 1900s. Selected research studies illustrate the range of research design strategies and results that have contributed to an increased understanding of learning in chemistry. The article also provides a perspective of current and continuing challenges that researchers in this area face as they strive to bridge the gap between chemistry and education - disciplines with differing theoretical bases and research paradigms.

  16. Learning and Teaching Research Methods in Management Education: Development of a Curriculum to Combine Theory and Practice--A Swiss Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoidn, Sabine; Olbert-Bock, Sibylle

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: In the context of the creation of a two-year Master of Science in Business Administration programme to offer a scientifically sound and practice-related management education in Switzerland, a curriculum for learning and teaching research methods had to be designed. Major pedagogic challenges were identified and addressed by curricular…

  17. Graduate Students' Expectations of an Introductory Research Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Earley, Mark A.

    2013-01-01

    While there is a scattered literature base on teaching research methods courses, there is very little literature that speaks to what and how students learn in research methods courses. Students are often described as coming to the course not seeing its relevance, bringing negative attitudes and low motivation with them. The purpose of this…

  18. An online supervised learning method based on gradient descent for spiking neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yan; Yang, Jing; Zhong, Shuiming

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of supervised learning with temporal encoding for spiking neurons is to make the neurons emit a specific spike train encoded by precise firing times of spikes. The gradient-descent-based (GDB) learning methods are widely used and verified in the current research. Although the existing GDB multi-spike learning (or spike sequence learning) methods have good performance, they work in an offline manner and still have some limitations. This paper proposes an online GDB spike sequence learning method for spiking neurons that is based on the online adjustment mechanism of real biological neuron synapses. The method constructs error function and calculates the adjustment of synaptic weights as soon as the neurons emit a spike during their running process. We analyze and synthesize desired and actual output spikes to select appropriate input spikes in the calculation of weight adjustment in this paper. The experimental results show that our method obviously improves learning performance compared with the offline learning manner and has certain advantage on learning accuracy compared with other learning methods. Stronger learning ability determines that the method has large pattern storage capacity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. The Conundrum of Training and Capacity Building for People with Learning Disabilities Doing Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nind, Melanie; Chapman, Rohhss; Seale, Jane; Tilley, Liz

    2016-01-01

    Background: This study explores the training involved when people with learning disabilities take their place in the community as researchers. This was a theme in a recent UK seminar series where a network of researchers explored pushing the boundaries of participatory research. Method: Academics, researchers with learning disabilities, supporters…

  20. Comparison effectiveness of cooperative learning type STAD with cooperative learning type TPS in terms of mathematical method of Junior High School students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahyuni, A.

    2018-05-01

    This research is aimed to find out whether the model of cooperative learning type Student Team Achievement Division (STAD) is more effective than cooperative learning type Think-Pair-Share in SMP Negeri 7 Yogyakarta. This research was a quasi-experimental research, using two experimental groups. The population of research was all students of 7thclass in SMP Negeri 7 Yogyakarta that consists of 5 Classes. From the population were taken 2 classes randomly which used as sample. The instrument to collect data was a description test. Measurement of instrument validity use content validity and construct validity, while measuring instrument reliability use Cronbach Alpha formula. To investigate the effectiveness of cooperative learning type STAD and cooperative learning type TPS on the aspect of student’s mathematical method, the datas were analyzed by one sample test. Comparing the effectiveness of cooperative learning type STAD and TPS in terms of mathematical communication skills by using t-test. Normality test was not conducted because the sample of research more than 30 students, while homogeneity tested by using Kolmogorov Smirnov test. The analysis was performed at 5% confidence level.The results show as follows : 1) The model of cooperative learning type STAD and TPS are effective in terms of mathematical method of junior high school students. 2). STAD type cooperative learning model is more effective than TPS type cooperative learning model in terms of mathematical methods of junior high school students.

  1. Research methods for graduate students: a practical framework to guide teachers and learners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearce, Patricia F; Christian, Becky J; Smith, Sandra L; Vance, David E

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to present the Arrow Framework for Research Design, an organizing framework that facilitates teaching and learning of research methods, providing logical organization of interrelationships between concepts, content, and context of research methods, and practice application. The Arrow Framework was designed for teaching and learning research methods to facilitate progression of knowledge acquisition through synthesis. The framework was developed over several years and used successfully to teach masters, DNP, and PhD nursing students across five universities. The framework is presented with incremental graphics and narrative for teaching. The Arrow Framework provides user-friendly information, in an organized and systematic approach demonstrated as successful for teaching and learning the foundational language of research, facilitating synthesis and application in scholarly endeavors. The Arrow Framework will be useful for educators and students in teaching and learning research language, relationships, and application of methods. The materials are easily adaptable to slide or paper presentation, and meet learner needs for narrative and visual presentation. Teaching research design to graduate students is critical to meet the expectation that students are to understand the scientific underpinnings of nursing science and appropriate use of evidence that are essential for well-educated practitioners. ©2013 The Author(s) ©2013 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

  2. Different protein-protein interface patterns predicted by different machine learning methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wei; Yang, Yongxiao; Yin, Jianxin; Gong, Xinqi

    2017-11-22

    Different types of protein-protein interactions make different protein-protein interface patterns. Different machine learning methods are suitable to deal with different types of data. Then, is it the same situation that different interface patterns are preferred for prediction by different machine learning methods? Here, four different machine learning methods were employed to predict protein-protein interface residue pairs on different interface patterns. The performances of the methods for different types of proteins are different, which suggest that different machine learning methods tend to predict different protein-protein interface patterns. We made use of ANOVA and variable selection to prove our result. Our proposed methods taking advantages of different single methods also got a good prediction result compared to single methods. In addition to the prediction of protein-protein interactions, this idea can be extended to other research areas such as protein structure prediction and design.

  3. Using Technologies in Nursing Research Education: A Mixed Methods Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Shuhong; Yang, Harrison Hao

    2018-02-28

    To better prepare nurses for the new and expanding roles required in healthcare, faculty are expected to integrate emerging technology into educational processes. Using a mixed methods research design, this study aimed to examine nursing student reactions and learning based on their participation in an online research course through two technology-enhanced assignments: (1) annotation of the structure of a research article and (2) reflection on the content of a research article. Quantitative analysis examined students' questionnaire responses, and qualitative analysis explored students' reflective learning journals and the instructor's notes. These two separate strands of data were then integrated using a joint display. The discussion was guided by two components of the New World Kirkpatrick model, reaction and learning. Our findings suggest that the use of technology in the design of assignments is a way to engage students in learning and can be used to enhance nursing students' research learning online.

  4. The Role of Spirituality in Transition to Parenthood: Qualitative Research Using Transformative Learning Theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klobučar, Nataša Rijavec

    2016-08-01

    This article presents results of a qualitative study of 12 adult couples making transition to parenthood. The aim of the study was to research the meaning of transition to parenthood through the lens of transformative learning theory. Transformative learning theory explains learning through meaning-making of that life experience. In this paper, the spiritual dimension of learning is emphasized. An important part of research methodology included biographical method, using semi-structured interviews before and after the birth of the first child. The research showed that transformative learning occurs in different spheres of life during transition to parenthood. This paper discusses the spiritual dimension of learning, meaning-making and presents results of the research.

  5. IMPROVEMENT OF RECOGNITION QUALITY IN DEEP LEARNING NETWORKS BY SIMULATED ANNEALING METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Potapov

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The subject of this research is deep learning methods, in which automatic construction of feature transforms is taken place in tasks of pattern recognition. Multilayer autoencoders have been taken as the considered type of deep learning networks. Autoencoders perform nonlinear feature transform with logistic regression as an upper classification layer. In order to verify the hypothesis of possibility to improve recognition rate by global optimization of parameters for deep learning networks, which are traditionally trained layer-by-layer by gradient descent, a new method has been designed and implemented. The method applies simulated annealing for tuning connection weights of autoencoders while regression layer is simultaneously trained by stochastic gradient descent. Experiments held by means of standard MNIST handwritten digit database have shown the decrease of recognition error rate from 1.1 to 1.5 times in case of the modified method comparing to the traditional method, which is based on local optimization. Thus, overfitting effect doesn’t appear and the possibility to improve learning rate is confirmed in deep learning networks by global optimization methods (in terms of increasing recognition probability. Research results can be applied for improving the probability of pattern recognition in the fields, which require automatic construction of nonlinear feature transforms, in particular, in the image recognition. Keywords: pattern recognition, deep learning, autoencoder, logistic regression, simulated annealing.

  6. Using teacher action research to promote constructivist learning ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The primary focus was to assist South African teachers to become reflective practitioners in their daily mathematics classroom teaching. The study involved a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Quantitative data were collected using the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) to ...

  7. Learned-Helplessness Theory: Implications for Research in Learning Disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canino, Frank J.

    1981-01-01

    The application of learned helplessness theory to achievement is discussed within the context of implications for research in learning disabilities. Finally, the similarities between helpless children and learning disabled students in terms of problems solving and attention are discussed. (Author)

  8. [Public Health as an Applied, Multidisciplinary Subject: Is Research-Based Learning the Answer to Challenges in Learning and Teaching?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerhardus, A; Schilling, I; Voss, M

    2017-03-01

    Public health education aims at enabling students to deal with complex health-related challenges using appropriate methods based on sound theoretical understanding. Virtually all health-related problems in science and practice require the involvement of different disciplines. However, the necessary interdisciplinarity is only partly reflected in the curricula of public health courses. Also theories, methods, health topics, and their application are often taught side-by-side and not together. For students, it can become an insurmountable challenge to integrate the different disciplines ("horizontal integration") and theories, methods, health topics, and their application ("vertical integration"). This situation is specific for education in public health but is representative for other interdisciplinary fields as well. Several approaches are available to achieve the horizontal integration of different disciplines and vertical integration of theories, methods, health topics, and their application. A curriculum that is structured by topics, rather than disciplines might be more successful in integrating different disciplines. Vertical integration can be achieved by research-based learning. Research-based learning places a student-led research project at the centre of teaching. Students choose a topic and a research question, raise their own questions for theories and methods and will hopefully cross the seeming chasm between science and practice. Challenges of research-based learning are enhanced demands on students, teachers and curriculum design. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  9. The role of problem solving method on the improvement of mathematical learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed Mokhtari-Hassanabad

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available In history of education, problem solving is one of the important educational goals and teachers or parents have intended that their students have capacity of problem solving. In present research, it is tried that study the problem solving method for mathematical learning. This research is implemented via quasi-experimental method on 49 boy students at high school. The results of Leven test and T-test indicated that problem solving method has more effective on the improvement of mathematical learning than traditional instruction method. Therefore it seems that teachers of mathematics must apply the problem solving method in educational systems till students became self-efficiency in mathematical problem solving.

  10. Early Language Learning: Complexity and Mixed Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enever, Janet, Ed.; Lindgren, Eva, Ed.

    2017-01-01

    This is the first collection of research studies to explore the potential for mixed methods to shed light on foreign or second language learning by young learners in instructed contexts. It brings together recent studies undertaken in Cameroon, China, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania and…

  11. Research with and by people with learning disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durell, Shirley

    Many people with learning disabilities are frequently excluded from active involvement in research and, as a result, along with researchers, have questioned research processes. These discussions have influenced how research is undertaken by, and with, people who have learning disabilities. Learning disability research is now increasingly framed as inclusive. This article explores the development of inclusive learning disability research by tracing its background and influences, identifying key characteristics and highlighting some of the challenges in its application. It demonstrates how inclusive research can give people with learning disabilities a voice that will help to inform practice.

  12. An Overview and Evaluation of Recent Machine Learning Imputation Methods Using Cardiac Imaging Data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yuzhe; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi

    2017-03-01

    Many clinical research datasets have a large percentage of missing values that directly impacts their usefulness in yielding high accuracy classifiers when used for training in supervised machine learning. While missing value imputation methods have been shown to work well with smaller percentages of missing values, their ability to impute sparse clinical research data can be problem specific. We previously attempted to learn quantitative guidelines for ordering cardiac magnetic resonance imaging during the evaluation for pediatric cardiomyopathy, but missing data significantly reduced our usable sample size. In this work, we sought to determine if increasing the usable sample size through imputation would allow us to learn better guidelines. We first review several machine learning methods for estimating missing data. Then, we apply four popular methods (mean imputation, decision tree, k-nearest neighbors, and self-organizing maps) to a clinical research dataset of pediatric patients undergoing evaluation for cardiomyopathy. Using Bayesian Rule Learning (BRL) to learn ruleset models, we compared the performance of imputation-augmented models versus unaugmented models. We found that all four imputation-augmented models performed similarly to unaugmented models. While imputation did not improve performance, it did provide evidence for the robustness of our learned models.

  13. Learning from doing: the case for combining normalisation process theory and participatory learning and action research methodology for primary healthcare implementation research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Brún, Tomas; O'Reilly-de Brún, Mary; O'Donnell, Catherine A; MacFarlane, Anne

    2016-08-03

    The implementation of research findings is not a straightforward matter. There are substantive and recognised gaps in the process of translating research findings into practice and policy. In order to overcome some of these translational difficulties, a number of strategies have been proposed for researchers. These include greater use of theoretical approaches in research focused on implementation, and use of a wider range of research methods appropriate to policy questions and the wider social context in which they are placed. However, questions remain about how to combine theory and method in implementation research. In this paper, we respond to these proposals. Focussing on a contemporary social theory, Normalisation Process Theory, and a participatory research methodology, Participatory Learning and Action, we discuss the potential of their combined use for implementation research. We note ways in which Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action are congruent and may therefore be used as heuristic devices to explore, better understand and support implementation. We also provide examples of their use in our own research programme about community involvement in primary healthcare. Normalisation Process Theory alone has, to date, offered useful explanations for the success or otherwise of implementation projects post-implementation. We argue that Normalisation Process Theory can also be used to prospectively support implementation journeys. Furthermore, Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action can be used together so that interventions to support implementation work are devised and enacted with the expertise of key stakeholders. We propose that the specific combination of this theory and methodology possesses the potential, because of their combined heuristic force, to offer a more effective means of supporting implementation projects than either one might do on its own, and of providing deeper understandings of

  14. Learning by Designing Interview Methods in Special Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jönsson, Lise Høgh

    2017-01-01

    , and people with learning disabilities worked together to develop five new visual and digital methods for interviewing in special education. Thereby not only enhancing the students’ competences, knowledge and proficiency in innovation and research, but also proposing a new teaching paradigm for university...

  15. A literature review of empirical research on learning analytics in medical education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saqr, Mohammed

    2018-01-01

    The number of publications in the field of medical education is still markedly low, despite recognition of the value of the discipline in the medical education literature, and exponential growth of publications in other fields. This necessitates raising awareness of the research methods and potential benefits of learning analytics (LA). The aim of this paper was to offer a methodological systemic review of empirical LA research in the field of medical education and a general overview of the common methods used in the field in general. Search was done in Medline database using the term "LA." Inclusion criteria included empirical original research articles investigating LA using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methodologies. Articles were also required to be written in English, published in a scholarly peer-reviewed journal and have a dedicated section for methods and results. A Medline search resulted in only six articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria for this review. Most of the studies collected data about learners from learning management systems or online learning resources. Analysis used mostly quantitative methods including descriptive statistics, correlation tests, and regression models in two studies. Patterns of online behavior and usage of the digital resources as well as predicting achievement was the outcome most studies investigated. Research about LA in the field of medical education is still in infancy, with more questions than answers. The early studies are encouraging and showed that patterns of online learning can be easily revealed as well as predicting students' performance.

  16. Creative Approaches to Teaching Graduate Research Methods Workshops

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Reilly

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Engagement and deeper learning were enhanced by developing several innovative teaching strategies delivered in Research Methods workshops to Graduate Business Students.  Focusing primarily on students adopting a creative approach to formulating a valid research question for undertaking a dissertation successfully. These techniques are applicable to most subject domains to ensure student engagement.  Addressing the various multiple intelligences and learning styles existing within groups while ensuring these sessions are student centred and conducive to a collaborative learning environment.  Blogs, interactive tutorials, online videos, games and posters, are used to develop student’s cognitive and metacognitive abilities.  Using novelty images appeals to a groups’ intellectual curiosity, acting as an interpretive device to explain  the value of adopting a holistic rather than analytic approach towards a topic.

  17. Factors Influencing Achievement in Undergraduate Social Science Research Methods Courses: A Mixed Methods Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markle, Gail

    2017-01-01

    Undergraduate social science research methods courses tend to have higher than average rates of failure and withdrawal. Lack of success in these courses impedes students' progression through their degree programs and negatively impacts institutional retention and graduation rates. Grounded in adult learning theory, this mixed methods study…

  18. Influence on Learning of a Collaborative Learning Method Comprising the Jigsaw Method and Problem-based Learning (PBL).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeda, Kayoko; Takahashi, Kiyoshi; Masukawa, Hiroyuki; Shimamori, Yoshimitsu

    2017-01-01

    Recently, the practice of active learning has spread, increasingly recognized as an essential component of academic studies. Classes incorporating small group discussion (SGD) are conducted at many universities. At present, assessments of the effectiveness of SGD have mostly involved evaluation by questionnaires conducted by teachers, by peer assessment, and by self-evaluation of students. However, qualitative data, such as open-ended descriptions by students, have not been widely evaluated. As a result, we have been unable to analyze the processes and methods involved in how students acquire knowledge in SGD. In recent years, due to advances in information and communication technology (ICT), text mining has enabled the analysis of qualitative data. We therefore investigated whether the introduction of a learning system comprising the jigsaw method and problem-based learning (PBL) would improve student attitudes toward learning; we did this by text mining analysis of the content of student reports. We found that by applying the jigsaw method before PBL, we were able to improve student attitudes toward learning and increase the depth of their understanding of the area of study as a result of working with others. The use of text mining to analyze qualitative data also allowed us to understand the processes and methods by which students acquired knowledge in SGD and also changes in students' understanding and performance based on improvements to the class. This finding suggests that the use of text mining to analyze qualitative data could enable teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of various methods employed to improve learning.

  19. Affordances of Augmented Reality in Science Learning: Suggestions for Future Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Kun-Hung; Tsai, Chin-Chung

    2013-08-01

    Augmented reality (AR) is currently considered as having potential for pedagogical applications. However, in science education, research regarding AR-aided learning is in its infancy. To understand how AR could help science learning, this review paper firstly has identified two major approaches of utilizing AR technology in science education, which are named as image- based AR and location- based AR. These approaches may result in different affordances for science learning. It is then found that students' spatial ability, practical skills, and conceptual understanding are often afforded by image-based AR and location-based AR usually supports inquiry-based scientific activities. After examining what has been done in science learning with AR supports, several suggestions for future research are proposed. For example, more research is required to explore learning experience (e.g., motivation or cognitive load) and learner characteristics (e.g., spatial ability or perceived presence) involved in AR. Mixed methods of investigating learning process (e.g., a content analysis and a sequential analysis) and in-depth examination of user experience beyond usability (e.g., affective variables of esthetic pleasure or emotional fulfillment) should be considered. Combining image-based and location-based AR technology may bring new possibility for supporting science learning. Theories including mental models, spatial cognition, situated cognition, and social constructivist learning are suggested for the profitable uses of future AR research in science education.

  20. Adapting Western research methods to indigenous ways of knowing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonds, Vanessa W; Christopher, Suzanne

    2013-12-01

    Indigenous communities have long experienced exploitation by researchers and increasingly require participatory and decolonizing research processes. We present a case study of an intervention research project to exemplify a clash between Western research methodologies and Indigenous methodologies and how we attempted reconciliation. We then provide implications for future research based on lessons learned from Native American community partners who voiced concern over methods of Western deductive qualitative analysis. Decolonizing research requires constant reflective attention and action, and there is an absence of published guidance for this process. Continued exploration is needed for implementing Indigenous methods alone or in conjunction with appropriate Western methods when conducting research in Indigenous communities. Currently, examples of Indigenous methods and theories are not widely available in academic texts or published articles, and are often not perceived as valid.

  1. Research Ethics in Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doyle, Elaine; Buckley, Patrick

    2014-01-01

    The evolution of enquiry-based teaching and learning has broadened the range of research carried out by university students. As a result, the boundaries between teaching and learning and academic research are being blurred to a degree not experienced heretofore. This paper examines whether research undertaken as part of course work should fall…

  2. Notes toward a Philosophy of Action Learning Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coghlan, David; Coughlan, Paul

    2010-01-01

    The philosophical foundations of action learning research have not received a great deal of attention. In the context of action learning postgraduate and professional programmes in universities, articulation of a philosophy of action learning research seems timely and appropriate. This article explores a philosophy of action learning research,…

  3. Ethical Issues in Qualitative E-Learning Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heather Kanuka

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available In the mid 1980s education researchers began exploring the use of the Internet within teaching and learning practices, now commonly referred to as e-learning. At the same time, many e-learning researchers were discovering that the application of existing ethical guidelines for qualitative research was resulting in confusion and uncertainty among both researchers and ethics review board members. Two decades later we continue to be plagued by these same ethical issues. On reflection on our research practices and examination of the literature on ethical issues relating to qualitative Internet- and Web-based research, the authors conclude that there are three main areas of confusion and uncertainty among researchers in the field of e-learning: (a participant consent, (b public versus private ownership, and (c confidentiality and anonymity.

  4. A literature review about usability evaluation methods for e-learning platforms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freire, Luciana Lopes; Arezes, Pedro Miguel; Campos, José Creissac

    2012-01-01

    The usability analysis of information systems has been the target of several research studies over the past thirty years. These studies have highlighted a great diversity of points of view, including researchers from different scientific areas such as Ergonomics, Computer Science, Design and Education. Within the domain of information ergonomics, the study of tools and methods used for usability evaluation dedicated to E-learning presents evidence that there is a continuous and dynamic evolution of E-learning systems, in many different contexts -academics and corporative. These systems, also known as LMS (Learning Management Systems), can be classified according to their educational goals and their technological features. However, in these systems the usability issues are related with the relationship/interactions between user and system in the user's context. This review is a synthesis of research project about Information Ergonomics and embraces three dimensions, namely the methods, models and frameworks that have been applied to evaluate LMS. The study also includes the main usability criteria and heuristics used. The obtained results show a notorious change in the paradigms of usability, with which it will be possible to discuss about the studies carried out by different researchers that were focused on usability ergonomic principles aimed at E-learning.

  5. The Keyimage Method of Learning Sound-Symbol Correspondences: A Case Study of Learning Written Khmer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth Lavolette

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available I documented my strategies for learning sound-symbol correspondences during a Khmer course. I used a mnemonic strategy that I call the keyimage method. In this method, a character evokes an image (the keyimage, which evokes the corresponding sound. For example, the keyimage for the character 2 could be a swan with its head tucked in. This evokes the sound "kaw" that a swan makes, which sounds similar to the Khmer sound corresponding to 2. The method has some similarities to the keyword method. Considering the results of keyword studies, I hypothesize that the keyimage method is more effective than rote learning and that peer-generated keyimages are more effective than researcher- or teacher-generated keyimages, which are more effective than learner-generated ones. In Dr. Andrew Cohen's plenary presentation at the Hawaii TESOL 2007 conference, he mentioned that more case studies are needed on learning strategies (LSs. One reason to study LSs is that what learners do with input to produce output is unclear, and knowing what strategies learners use may help us understand that process (Dornyei, 2005, p. 170. Hopefully, we can use that knowledge to improve language learning, perhaps by teaching learners to use the strategies that we find. With that in mind, I have examined the LSs that I used in studying Khmer as a foreign language, focusing on learning the syllabic alphabet.

  6. Active learning in research methods classes is associated with higher knowledge and confidence, though not evaluations or satisfaction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter James Allen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Research methods and statistics are regarded as difficult subjects to teach, fueling investigations into techniques that increase student engagement. Students enjoy active learning opportunities like hands-on demonstrations, authentic research participation, and working with real data. However, enhanced enjoyment does not always correspond with enhanced learning and performance. In this study, we developed a workshop activity in which students participated in a computer-based experiment and used class-generated data to run a range of statistical procedures. To enable evaluation, we developed a parallel, didactic/canned workshop, which was identical to the activity-based version, except that students were told about the experiment and used a pre-existing/canned dataset to perform their analyses. Tutorial groups were randomized to one of the two workshop versions, and 39 students completed a post-workshop evaluation questionnaire. A series of generalized linear mixed models suggested that, compared to the students in the didactic/canned condition, students exposed to the activity-based workshop displayed significantly greater knowledge of the methodological and statistical issues addressed in class, and were more confident about their ability to use this knowledge in the future. However, overall evaluations and satisfaction between the two groups were not reliably different. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

  7. Parallelization of the ROOT Machine Learning Methods

    CERN Document Server

    Vakilipourtakalou, Pourya

    2016-01-01

    Today computation is an inseparable part of scientific research. Specially in Particle Physics when there is a classification problem like discrimination of Signals from Backgrounds originating from the collisions of particles. On the other hand, Monte Carlo simulations can be used in order to generate a known data set of Signals and Backgrounds based on theoretical physics. The aim of Machine Learning is to train some algorithms on known data set and then apply these trained algorithms to the unknown data sets. However, the most common framework for data analysis in Particle Physics is ROOT. In order to use Machine Learning methods, a Toolkit for Multivariate Data Analysis (TMVA) has been added to ROOT. The major consideration in this report is the parallelization of some TMVA methods, specially Cross-Validation and BDT.

  8. Building Customer Churn Prediction Models in Fitness Industry with Machine Learning Methods

    OpenAIRE

    Shan, Min

    2017-01-01

    With the rapid growth of digital systems, churn management has become a major focus within customer relationship management in many industries. Ample research has been conducted for churn prediction in different industries with various machine learning methods. This thesis aims to combine feature selection and supervised machine learning methods for defining models of churn prediction and apply them on fitness industry. Forward selection is chosen as feature selection methods. Support Vector ...

  9. Innovation Research in E-Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Bing; Xu, WenXia; Ge, Jun

    This study is a productivity review on the literature gleaned from SSCI, SCIE databases concerning innovation research in E-Learning. The result indicates that the number of literature productions on innovation research in ELearning is still growing from 2005. The main research development country is England, and from the analysis of the publication year, the number of papers is increasing peaking in 25% of the total in 2010. Meanwhile the main source title is British Journal of Educational Technology. In addition the subject area concentrated on Education & Educational Research, Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications and Computer Science, Software Engineering. Moreover the research focuses on are mainly conceptual research and empirical research, which were used to explore E-Learning in respective of innovation diffusion theory, also the limitations and future research of these research were discussed for further research.

  10. Characteristics and Consequences of Adult Learning Methods and Strategies. Practical Evaluation Reports, Volume 2, Number 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivette, Carol M.; Dunst, Carl J.; Hamby, Deborah W.; O'Herin, Chainey E.

    2009-01-01

    The effectiveness of four adult learning methods (accelerated learning, coaching, guided design, and just-in-time training) constituted the focus of this research synthesis. Findings reported in "How People Learn" (Bransford et al., 2000) were used to operationally define six adult learning method characteristics, and to code and analyze…

  11. Peer-Assisted Learning in Research Methods and Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Anna; Meade, Claire; Watling, Rosamond

    2012-01-01

    Feedback from students on a Level 1 Research Methods and Statistics module, studied as a core part of a BSc Psychology programme, highlighted demand for additional tutorials to help them to understand basic concepts. Students in their final year of study commonly request work experience to enhance their employability. All students on the Level 1…

  12. Exploring an experiential learning project through Kolb's Learning Theory using a qualitative research method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuk Chan, Cecilia Ka

    2012-08-01

    Experiential learning pedagogy is taking a lead in the development of graduate attributes and educational aims as these are of prime importance for society. This paper shows a community service experiential project conducted in China. The project enabled students to serve the affected community in a post-earthquake area by applying their knowledge and skills. This paper documented the students' learning process from their project goals, pre-trip preparations, work progress, obstacles encountered to the final results and reflections. Using the data gathered from a focus group interview approach, the four components of Kolb's learning cycle, the concrete experience, reflection observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation, have been shown to transform and internalise student's learning experience, achieving a variety of learning outcomes. The author will also explore how this community service type of experiential learning in the engineering discipline allowed students to experience deep learning and develop their graduate attributes.

  13. The Playground Game: Inquiry‐Based Learning About Research Methods and Statistics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Westera, Wim; Slootmaker, Aad; Kurvers, Hub

    2014-01-01

    The Playground Game is a web-based game that was developed for teaching research methods and statistics to nursing and social sciences students in higher education and vocational training. The complexity and abstract nature of research methods and statistics poses many challenges for students. The

  14. Accelerating what works: using qualitative research methods in developing a change package for a learning collaborative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorensen, Asta V; Bernard, Shulamit L

    2012-02-01

    Learning (quality improvement) collaboratives are effective vehicles for driving coordinated organizational improvements. A central element of a learning collaborative is the change package-a catalogue of strategies, change concepts, and action steps that guide participants in their improvement efforts. Despite a vast literature describing learning collaboratives, little to no information is available on how the guiding strategies, change concepts, and action items are identified and developed to a replicable and actionable format that can be used to make measurable improvements within participating organizations. The process for developing the change package for the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative entailed environmental scan and identification of leading practices, case studies, interim debriefing meetings, data synthesis, and a technical expert panel meeting. Data synthesis involved end-of-day debriefings, systematic qualitative analyses, and the use of grounded theory and inductive data analysis techniques. This approach allowed systematic identification of innovative patient safety and clinical pharmacy practices that could be adopted in diverse environments. A case study approach enabled the research team to study practices in their natural environments. Use of grounded theory and inductive data analysis techniques enabled identification of strategies, change concepts, and actionable items that might not have been captured using different approaches. Use of systematic processes and qualitative methods in identification and translation of innovative practices can greatly accelerate the diffusion of innovations and practice improvements. This approach is effective whether or not an individual organization is part of a learning collaborative.

  15. Application of a Novel Collaboration Engineering Method for Learning Design: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Xusen; Li, Yuanyuan; Sun, Jianshan; Huang, Jianqing

    2016-01-01

    Collaborative case studies and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) play an important role in the modern education environment. A number of researchers have given significant attention to learning design in order to improve the satisfaction of collaborative learning. Although collaboration engineering (CE) is a mature method widely…

  16. Use of narratives to enhance learning of research ethics in residents and researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Kang; Sum, Min Yi; Navedo, Deborah

    2015-03-10

    Past didactic pedagogy on biomedical research ethics and informed consent in our program had resulted in passive memorization of information and disengaged learning within psychiatry residents and clinical researchers. The question is how do we better motivate and engage learners within the session. Thus, we incorporated narratives into the learning environment and hypothesised that the use of narratives in the teaching of biomedical research ethics and informed consent would be associated with greater engagement, motivation, understanding, reflective learning and effectiveness of the teaching session. The narratives were chosen from the history of research ethics and the humanities literature related to human subject research. Learners were asked to provide post-session feedback through an anonymised questionnaire on their learning session. An outcomes logic model was used for assessment with focus on immediate outcomes such as engagement, motivation, understanding and reflective learning. Overall, 70.5% (N = 273) of the learners responded to the questionnaire. Amongst the respondents, 92.6% (N = 253) of the participants ranked use of narratives as most helpful in appreciating the historical context of research ethics and informed consent in research. The majority felt engaged (89.8%, N = 245), more motivated to learn (77.5%, N = 212) and better equipped (86.4%, N = 236) about the subject matter. Better appreciation of the learning topic, engagement, motivation to learn, equipping were strongly correlated with the promotion of reflective learning, effectiveness of teaching, promotion of critical thinking and overall positive rating of the teaching session on research ethics (all p ethics and informed consent, and address underlying motivational factors behind learning and understanding of research ethics.

  17. Interest in Currency Trading Learning – Preferred Methods and Motivational Factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pintar Rok

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: This paper analyzes the interest of potential users for learning in the field of currency trading or foreign exchange (forex, FX. The purpose of our article is a to present currency trading, b to present different options, methods and learning approaches to educating in forex, c to present the research results discovering the interest of potential users for learning in the field of currency trading.

  18. Undergraduate Student Teachers' Views and Experiences of a Compulsory Course in Research Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lombard, B. J. J.

    2015-01-01

    In comparison to attention given to research methods for education students at postgraduate level, the offering of research methods for education students at undergraduate level is less often considered. Yet, it is agreed that research methods for undergraduate level students is important for shaping student attitudes, learning and achievement in…

  19. Tapping into Graduate Students' Collaborative Technology Experience in a Research Methods Class: Insights on Teaching Research Methods in a Malaysian and American Setting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasquez-Colina, Maria D.; Maslin-Ostrowski, Pat; Baba, Suria

    2017-01-01

    This case study used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate challenges of learning and teaching research methods by examining graduate students' use of collaborative technology (i.e., digital tools that enable collaboration and information seeking such as software and social media) and students' computer self-efficacy. We conducted…

  20. Guidelines for Developing and Reporting Machine Learning Predictive Models in Biomedical Research: A Multidisciplinary View.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Wei; Phung, Dinh; Tran, Truyen; Gupta, Sunil; Rana, Santu; Karmakar, Chandan; Shilton, Alistair; Yearwood, John; Dimitrova, Nevenka; Ho, Tu Bao; Venkatesh, Svetha; Berk, Michael

    2016-12-16

    As more and more researchers are turning to big data for new opportunities of biomedical discoveries, machine learning models, as the backbone of big data analysis, are mentioned more often in biomedical journals. However, owing to the inherent complexity of machine learning methods, they are prone to misuse. Because of the flexibility in specifying machine learning models, the results are often insufficiently reported in research articles, hindering reliable assessment of model validity and consistent interpretation of model outputs. To attain a set of guidelines on the use of machine learning predictive models within clinical settings to make sure the models are correctly applied and sufficiently reported so that true discoveries can be distinguished from random coincidence. A multidisciplinary panel of machine learning experts, clinicians, and traditional statisticians were interviewed, using an iterative process in accordance with the Delphi method. The process produced a set of guidelines that consists of (1) a list of reporting items to be included in a research article and (2) a set of practical sequential steps for developing predictive models. A set of guidelines was generated to enable correct application of machine learning models and consistent reporting of model specifications and results in biomedical research. We believe that such guidelines will accelerate the adoption of big data analysis, particularly with machine learning methods, in the biomedical research community. ©Wei Luo, Dinh Phung, Truyen Tran, Sunil Gupta, Santu Rana, Chandan Karmakar, Alistair Shilton, John Yearwood, Nevenka Dimitrova, Tu Bao Ho, Svetha Venkatesh, Michael Berk. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 16.12.2016.

  1. Advanced Steel Microstructural Classification by Deep Learning Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azimi, Seyed Majid; Britz, Dominik; Engstler, Michael; Fritz, Mario; Mücklich, Frank

    2018-02-01

    The inner structure of a material is called microstructure. It stores the genesis of a material and determines all its physical and chemical properties. While microstructural characterization is widely spread and well known, the microstructural classification is mostly done manually by human experts, which gives rise to uncertainties due to subjectivity. Since the microstructure could be a combination of different phases or constituents with complex substructures its automatic classification is very challenging and only a few prior studies exist. Prior works focused on designed and engineered features by experts and classified microstructures separately from the feature extraction step. Recently, Deep Learning methods have shown strong performance in vision applications by learning the features from data together with the classification step. In this work, we propose a Deep Learning method for microstructural classification in the examples of certain microstructural constituents of low carbon steel. This novel method employs pixel-wise segmentation via Fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCNN) accompanied by a max-voting scheme. Our system achieves 93.94% classification accuracy, drastically outperforming the state-of-the-art method of 48.89% accuracy. Beyond the strong performance of our method, this line of research offers a more robust and first of all objective way for the difficult task of steel quality appreciation.

  2. Effects of Jigsaw Learning Method on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Learn

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwi Nur Rachmah

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Jigsaw learning as a cooperative learning method, according to the results of some studies, can improve academic skills, social competence, behavior in learning, and motivation to learn. However, in some other studies, there are different findings regarding the effect of jigsaw learning method on self-efficacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of jigsaw learning method on self-efficacy and motivation to learn in psychology students at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Lambung Mangkurat. The method used in the study is the experimental method using one group pre-test and post-test design. The results of the measurements before and after the use of jigsaw learning method were compared using paired samples t-test. The results showed that there is a difference in students’ self-efficacy and motivation to learn before and after subjected to the treatments; therefore, it can be said that jigsaw learning method had significant effects on self-efficacy and motivation to learn. The application of jigsaw learning model in a classroom with large number of students was the discussion of this study.

  3. The role of learning technologists in supporting e-research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Susi Peacock

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available This article explores how the role of learning technologists, a professional group that has emerged during the last 15 to 20 years, may be diversifying to include supporting e-research. It contributes to the current debate about the emerging profession and the roles it should play in contemporary higher education. Previous studies have shown that, typically, the profession's role has focussed almost exclusively on curriculum development; traditionally, learning technologists work with students and tutors to enhance the learning environment with technology. This article presents two case studies of PhD research that used a standard e-learning tool, the virtual learning environment (VLE, to conduct focus groups online. The case studies demonstrate the expert role of the learning technologist in supporting researchers to make informed decisions about whether and how to use e-learning tools to conduct qualitative e-research. The learning technologist advised on the potential advantages and limitations of using the VLE for research and fostered collaborative, working relationships with the researchers, acquiring extensive background knowledge about their projects. This required the learning technologist to draw upon her own experience with research into e-learning and on her professional experience gained from supporting curriculum developments. It is suggested that many learning technologists could extend their roles, transferring their knowledge to include supporting e-research. A more inclusive model of the learning technologist's role in academia could help address the potential polarisation of the profession into researchers and practitioners.

  4. Researches on Learning Disabilities--Where Are We?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raja, B. William Dharma; Kumar, S. Praveen

    2011-01-01

    This article focusses on the review of research studies done on the area of learning disabilities and the need to conduct more research studies in this area. School children are seen to have different types of learning difficulties with regard to academics. Children with learning disability, who occupy the largest number receiving special…

  5. Learning Psychological Research and Statistical Concepts using Retrieval-based Practice

    OpenAIRE

    Stephen Wee Hun eLim; Gavin Jun Peng eNg; Gabriel Qi Hao eWong

    2015-01-01

    Research methods and statistics are an indispensable subject in the undergraduate psychology curriculum, but there are challenges associated with engaging students in it, such as making learning durable. Here we hypothesized that retrieval-based learning promotes long-term retention of statistical knowledge in psychology. Participants either studied the educational material in four consecutive periods, or studied it just once and practiced retrieving the information in the subsequent three pe...

  6. The use of technology enhanced learning in health research capacity development: lessons from a cross country research partnership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne, E; Donaldson, L; Manda-Taylor, L; Brugha, R; Matthews, A; MacDonald, S; Mwapasa, V; Petersen, M; Walsh, A

    2016-05-10

    With the recognition of the need for research capacity strengthening for advancing health and development, this research capacity article explores the use of technology enhanced learning in the delivery of a collaborative postgraduate blended Master's degree in Malawi. Two research questions are addressed: (i) Can technology enhanced learning be used to develop health research capacity?, and: (ii) How can learning content be designed that is transferrable across different contexts? An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was adopted for the evaluation of technology enhanced learning in the Masters programme. A number of online surveys were administered, student participation in online activities monitored and an independent evaluation of the programme conducted. Remote collaboration and engagement are paramount in the design of a blended learning programme and support was needed for selecting the most appropriate technical tools. Internet access proved problematic despite developing the content around low bandwidth availability and training was required for students and teachers/trainers on the tools used. Varying degrees of engagement with the tools used was recorded, and the support of a learning technologist was needed to navigate through challenges faced. Capacity can be built in health research through blended learning programmes. In relation to transferability, the support required institutionally for technology enhanced learning needs to be conceptualised differently from support for face-to-face teaching. Additionally, differences in pedagogical approaches and styles between institutions, as well as existing social norms and values around communication, need to be embedded in the content development if the material is to be used beyond the pilot resource-intensive phase of a project.

  7. Application of mixed-methods design in community-engaged research: Lessons learned from an evidence-based intervention for Latinos with chronic illness and minor depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguado Loi, Claudia X; Alfonso, Moya L; Chan, Isabella; Anderson, Kelsey; Tyson, Dinorah Dina Martinez; Gonzales, Junius; Corvin, Jaime

    2017-08-01

    The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learned from a collaborative, community-informed mixed-methods approach to adapting an evidence-based intervention to meet the needs of Latinos with chronic disease and minor depression and their family members. Mixed-methods informed by community-based participatory research (CBPR) were employed to triangulate multiple stakeholders' perceptions of facilitators and barriers of implementing the adapted intervention in community settings. Community partners provided an insider perspective to overcome methodological challenges. The study's community informed mixed-methods: research approach offered advantages to a single research methodology by expanding or confirming research findings and engaging multiple stakeholders in data collection. This approach also allowed community partners to collaborate with academic partners in key research decisions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Problem-Based Learning Method: Secondary Education 10th Grade Chemistry Course Mixtures Topic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Üce, Musa; Ates, Ismail

    2016-01-01

    In this research; aim was determining student achievement by comparing problem-based learning method with teacher-centered traditional method of teaching 10th grade chemistry lesson mixtures topic. Pretest-posttest control group research design is implemented. Research sample includes; two classes of (total of 48 students) an Anatolian High School…

  9. A collection of research reporting, theoretical analysis, and practical applications in science education: Examining qualitative research methods, action research, educator-researcher partnerships, and constructivist learning theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartle, R. Todd

    2007-12-01

    Educator-researcher partnerships are increasingly being used to improve the teaching of science. Chapter 1 provides a summary of the literature concerning partnerships, and examines the justification of qualitative methods in studying these relationships. It also justifies the use of Participatory Action Research (PAR). Empirically-based studies of educator-researcher partnership relationships are rare despite investments in their implementation by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and others. Chapter 2 describes a qualitative research project in which participants in an NSF GK-12 fellowship program were studied using informal observations, focus groups, personal interviews, and journals to identify and characterize the cultural factors that influenced the relationships between the educators and researchers. These factors were organized into ten critical axes encompassing a range of attitudes, behaviors, or values defined by two stereotypical extremes. These axes were: (1) Task Dictates Context vs. Context Dictates Task; (2) Introspection vs. Extroversion; (3) Internal vs. External Source of Success; (4) Prior Planning vs. Implementation Flexibility; (5) Flexible vs. Rigid Time Sense; (6) Focused Time vs. Multi-tasking; (7) Specific Details vs. General Ideas; (8) Critical Feedback vs. Encouragement; (9) Short Procedural vs. Long Content Repetition; and (10) Methods vs. Outcomes are Well Defined. Another ten important stereotypical characteristics, which did not fit the structure of an axis, were identified and characterized. The educator stereotypes were: (1) Rapport/Empathy; (2) Like Kids; (3) People Management; (4) Communication Skills; and (5) Entertaining. The researcher stereotypes were: (1) Community Collaboration; (2) Focus Intensity; (3) Persistent; (4) Pattern Seekers; and (5) Curiosity/Skeptical. Chapter 3 summarizes the research presented in chapter 2 into a practical guide for participants and administrators of educator-researcher partnerships

  10. Improving the Design of Workplace E-Learning Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubois, Cathy; Long, Lori

    2012-01-01

    E-learning researchers face considerable challenges in creating meaningful and generalizable studies due to the complex nature of this dynamic training medium. Our experience in conducting workplace e-learning research led us to create this guide for planning research on e-learning. We share the unanticipated complications we encountered in our…

  11. Educational Technology Research Journals: "Interactive Learning Environments," 2004-2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, Steven S.; Andrews, Carolyn; Harris, Scott P.; Lloyd, Adam; Turley, Chad; West, Richard E.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the journal "Interactive Learning Environments" to discover trends from 2004-2013. The authors looked at trends in article topics, research methods, authorship, citations, keyword frequencies, phrase counts of article abstracts, and article citations according to Google Scholar. Evidence is provided of the journal's…

  12. Facilitative Components of Collaborative Learning: A Review of Nine Health Research Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leroy, Lisa; Rittner, Jessica Levin; Johnson, Karin E; Gerteis, Jessie; Miller, Therese

    2017-02-01

    Collaborative research networks are increasingly used as an effective mechanism for accelerating knowledge transfer into policy and practice. This paper explored the characteristics and collaborative learning approaches of nine health research networks. Semi-structured interviews with representatives from eight diverse US health services research networks conducted between November 2012 and January 2013 and program evaluation data from a ninth. The qualitative analysis assessed each network's purpose, duration, funding sources, governance structure, methods used to foster collaboration, and barriers and facilitators to collaborative learning. The authors reviewed detailed notes from the interviews to distill salient themes. Face-to-face meetings, intentional facilitation and communication, shared vision, trust among members and willingness to work together were key facilitators of collaborative learning. Competing priorities for members, limited funding and lack of long-term support and geographic dispersion were the main barriers to coordination and collaboration across research network members. The findings illustrate the importance of collaborative learning in research networks and the challenges to evaluating the success of research network functionality. Conducting readiness assessments and developing process and outcome evaluation metrics will advance the design and show the impact of collaborative research networks. Copyright © 2017 Longwoods Publishing.

  13. Experiential Approach to Teaching Statistics and Research Methods ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Statistics and research methods are among the more demanding topics for students of education to master at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is our conviction that teaching these topics should be combined with real practical experiences. We discuss an experiential teaching/ learning approach that ...

  14. STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE CONSTRUCTIVIST INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS IN A TEACHING AND LEARNING COURSE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meri Fuji Siahaan

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Constructivism is defined as building one’s own understanding. Constructivist instructional method requires that teacher should not be the one who informs but who facilitates the students learning. The purpose of this study is to obtain the students’ perceptions on the implementation of constructivist instructional methods in Teaching and Learning course. A survey research methodology was used with first semester students who were taking teaching and learning course as the subjects of this study. Methods of collecting data were questionnaires with open ended questions, deep interview and documentation. A qualitative analysis technique was performed on data from the survey instrument and the interview to answer 4 research questions. A descriptive analysis technique was performed on data to answer 1 research question from the survey instrument and documents. The data analysis revealed that constructivism instructional methods were clearly experienced when they were required to answer a lot of probing questions, had discussion in the classroom, had Facebook online discussions with clear guidance to do so, created ted talks and debating.The study implies that the constructivist instructional methods experienced by the students in the class help them to better understand the constructivism theory and its implications.

  15. The Implementation of Discovery Learning Method to Increase Learning Outcomes and Motivation of Student in Senior High School

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nanda Saridewi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Based on data from the observation of high school students grade XI that daily low student test scores due to a lack of role of students in the learning process. This classroom action research aims to improve learning outcomes and student motivation through discovery learning method in colloidal material. This study uses the approach developed by Lewin consisting of planning, action, observation, and reflection. Data collection techniques used the questionnaires and ability tests end. Based on the research that results for students received a positive influence on learning by discovery learning model by increasing the average value of 74 students from the first cycle to 90.3 in the second cycle and increased student motivation in the form of two statements based competence (KD categories (sometimes on the first cycle and the first statement KD category in the second cycle. Thus the results of this study can be used to improve learning outcomes and student motivation

  16. Assessing and comparison of different machine learning methods in parent-offspring trios for genotype imputation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikhchi, Abbas; Honarvar, Mahmood; Kashan, Nasser Emam Jomeh; Aminafshar, Mehdi

    2016-06-21

    Genotype imputation is an important tool for prediction of unknown genotypes for both unrelated individuals and parent-offspring trios. Several imputation methods are available and can either employ universal machine learning methods, or deploy algorithms dedicated to infer missing genotypes. In this research the performance of eight machine learning methods: Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors, Extreme Learning Machine, Radial Basis Function, Random Forest, AdaBoost, LogitBoost, and TotalBoost compared in terms of the imputation accuracy, computation time and the factors affecting imputation accuracy. The methods employed using real and simulated datasets to impute the un-typed SNPs in parent-offspring trios. The tested methods show that imputation of parent-offspring trios can be accurate. The Random Forest and Support Vector Machine were more accurate than the other machine learning methods. The TotalBoost performed slightly worse than the other methods.The running times were different between methods. The ELM was always most fast algorithm. In case of increasing the sample size, the RBF requires long imputation time.The tested methods in this research can be an alternative for imputation of un-typed SNPs in low missing rate of data. However, it is recommended that other machine learning methods to be used for imputation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Influence Cooperative Learning Method and Personality Type to Ability to Write The Scientific Article (Experiment Study on SMAN 2 Students Ciamis Learning Indonesian Subject

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supriatna Supriatna

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to know the influence of cooperative learning method (Jigsaw and TPS and personality type (extrovert and introvert toward students’ ability in scientific writing at the SMA Negeri 2 Ciamis class XII. The research used experimental method with 2 x 2 factorial design. The population was the students of class XII which consisted of 150. The sample was 57 students. The results showed that: (1 The ability to write scientific articles of students learning by cooperative learning method jigsaw model (= 65,88 is higher than students who learn by cooperative technique method of TPS (= 59,88, (2 Ability writing scientific articles of students whose extroverted personality (= 65.69 is higher than introverted students (= 60.06; (3 there is interaction between cooperative learning method and personality type to score of writing ability of scientific article (4 ability to write scientific article of extrovert student and studying with technique of Jigsaw (= 77,75 higher than extrovert student learning with cooperative learning method model of TPS (= 53,63 to score of writing ability of scientific article, (5 ability to write introverted student's scientific article and get treatment of cooperative learning method of jigsaw model (= 54,00 lower than introverted student learning TPS technique = 66,13, (6 the ability to write extroverted students' scientific articles studied with jigsaw techniques, and introverted students who studied Jigsaw techniques (= 77.75 were higher than those with introverted personality types studied by the Jigsaw technique (= 54.00 , (7 Ability to write scientific articles of students learning by cooperative techniques of TPS technique and have extrovert personality type ( = 53.63 lower than introverted students learning TPS techniques (= 66.13.

  18. Ensemble Machine Learning Methods and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Ma, Yunqian

    2012-01-01

    It is common wisdom that gathering a variety of views and inputs improves the process of decision making, and, indeed, underpins a democratic society. Dubbed “ensemble learning” by researchers in computational intelligence and machine learning, it is known to improve a decision system’s robustness and accuracy. Now, fresh developments are allowing researchers to unleash the power of ensemble learning in an increasing range of real-world applications. Ensemble learning algorithms such as “boosting” and “random forest” facilitate solutions to key computational issues such as face detection and are now being applied in areas as diverse as object trackingand bioinformatics.   Responding to a shortage of literature dedicated to the topic, this volume offers comprehensive coverage of state-of-the-art ensemble learning techniques, including various contributions from researchers in leading industrial research labs. At once a solid theoretical study and a practical guide, the volume is a windfall for r...

  19. Learning Science, Learning about Science, Doing Science: Different Goals Demand Different Learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodson, Derek

    2014-01-01

    This opinion piece paper urges teachers and teacher educators to draw careful distinctions among four basic learning goals: learning science, learning about science, doing science and learning to address socio-scientific issues. In elaboration, the author urges that careful attention is paid to the selection of teaching/learning methods that…

  20. Project-Based Learning Using Discussion and Lesson-Learned Methods via Social Media Model for Enhancing Problem Solving Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jewpanich, Chaiwat; Piriyasurawong, Pallop

    2015-01-01

    This research aims to 1) develop the project-based learning using discussion and lesson-learned methods via social media model (PBL-DLL SoMe Model) used for enhancing problem solving skills of undergraduate in education student, and 2) evaluate the PBL-DLL SoMe Model used for enhancing problem solving skills of undergraduate in education student.…

  1. Student Approaches to Learning and Studying. Research Monograph.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biggs, John B.

    A common thread in contemporary research in student learning refers to the ways in which students go about learning. A theory of learning is presented that accentuates the interaction between the person and the situation. Research evidence implies a form of meta-cognition called meta-learning, the awareness of students of their own learning…

  2. Research and evaluation of the effectiveness of e-learning in the case of linear programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ljiljana Miletić

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The paper evaluates the effectiveness of the e-learning approach to linear programming. The goal was to investigate how proper use of information and communication technologies (ICT and interactive learning helps to improve high school students’ understanding, learning and retention of advanced non-curriculum material. The hypothesis was that ICT and e-learning is helpful in teaching linear programming methods. In the first phase of the research, a module of lessons for linear programming (LP was created using the software package Loomen Moodle and other interactive software packages such as Geogebra. In the second phase, the LP module was taught as a short course to two groups of high school students. These two groups of students were second-grade students in a Croatian high school. In Class 1, the module was taught using ICT and e-learning, while the module was taught using classical methods in Class 2. The action research methodology was an integral part in delivering the course to both student groups. The sample student groups were carefully selected to ensure that differences in background knowledge and learning potential were statistically negligible. Relevant data was collected while delivering the course. Statistical analysis of the collected data showed that the student group using the e-learning method produced better results than the group using a classical learning method. These findings support previous results on the effectiveness of e-learning, and also establish a specific approach to e-learning in linear programming.

  3. Exploring Service Learning Outcomes in Students: A Mixed Methods Study for Nursing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, John F.

    2017-01-01

    This mixed methods study exploring student outcomes of service learning experiences is inter-disciplinary, near the intersection of higher education research, moral development, and nursing. The specific problem examined in this study is that service learning among university students is utilized by educators, but largely without a full…

  4. The Influence of Teaching Methods and Learning Environment to the Student's Learning Achievement of Craft and Entrepreneurship Subjects at Vocational High School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munawaroh

    2017-01-01

    This research aims to explain the influence of teacher's teaching methods and learning environment to the learning achievement in class XI with the competency of accounting expertise to the subjects of craft and entrepreneurship, according to the students, the subject was very heavy and dull. The population in this research are students in class…

  5. Statistical learning methods: Basics, control and performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zimmermann, J. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, 80805 Munich (Germany)]. E-mail: zimmerm@mppmu.mpg.de

    2006-04-01

    The basics of statistical learning are reviewed with a special emphasis on general principles and problems for all different types of learning methods. Different aspects of controlling these methods in a physically adequate way will be discussed. All principles and guidelines will be exercised on examples for statistical learning methods in high energy and astrophysics. These examples prove in addition that statistical learning methods very often lead to a remarkable performance gain compared to the competing classical algorithms.

  6. Statistical learning methods: Basics, control and performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmermann, J.

    2006-01-01

    The basics of statistical learning are reviewed with a special emphasis on general principles and problems for all different types of learning methods. Different aspects of controlling these methods in a physically adequate way will be discussed. All principles and guidelines will be exercised on examples for statistical learning methods in high energy and astrophysics. These examples prove in addition that statistical learning methods very often lead to a remarkable performance gain compared to the competing classical algorithms

  7. Experience Effect in E-Learning Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Bing; Xu, WenXia; Ge, Jun

    This study is a productivity review on the literature gleaned from SSCI, SCIE databases concerning experience in E-Learning research. The result indicates that the number of literature productions on experience effect in ELearning research is still growing from 2005. The main research development country is Croatia, and from the analysis of the publication year, the number of papers is increasing to the peaking in 2010. And the main source title is British Journal of Educational Technology. In addition the subject area concentrated on Education & Educational Research. Moreover the research focuses on are mainly survey research and empirical research, in order to explore experience effect in E-Learning research. Also the limitations and future research of these research were discussed, so that the direction for further research work can be exploited

  8. Effects of Jigsaw Learning Method on Students’ Self-Efficacy and Motivation to Learn

    OpenAIRE

    Dwi Nur Rachmah

    2017-01-01

    Jigsaw learning as a cooperative learning method, according to the results of some studies, can improve academic skills, social competence, behavior in learning, and motivation to learn. However, in some other studies, there are different findings regarding the effect of jigsaw learning method on self-efficacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of jigsaw learning method on self-efficacy and motivation to learn in psychology students at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas La...

  9. Nurse practitioner preferences for distance education methods related to learning style, course content, and achievement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrusyszyn, M A; Cragg, C E; Humbert, J

    2001-04-01

    The relationships among multiple distance delivery methods, preferred learning style, content, and achievement was sought for primary care nurse practitioner students. A researcher-designed questionnaire was completed by 86 (71%) participants, while 6 engaged in follow-up interviews. The results of the study included: participants preferred learning by "considering the big picture"; "setting own learning plans"; and "focusing on concrete examples." Several positive associations were found: learning on own with learning by reading, and setting own learning plans; small group with learning through discussion; large group with learning new things through hearing and with having learning plans set by others. The most preferred method was print-based material and the least preferred method was audio tape. The most suited method for content included video teleconferencing for counseling, political action, and transcultural issues; and video tape for physical assessment. Convenience, self-direction, and timing of learning were more important than delivery method or learning style. Preferred order of learning was reading, discussing, observing, doing, and reflecting. Recommended considerations when designing distance courses include a mix of delivery methods, specific content, outcomes, learner characteristics, and state of technology.

  10. Introduction to quantitative research methods an investigative approach

    CERN Document Server

    Balnaves, Mark

    2001-01-01

    Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods is a student-friendly introduction to quantitative research methods and basic statistics. It uses a detective theme throughout the text and in multimedia courseware to show how quantitative methods have been used to solve real-life problems. The book focuses on principles and techniques that are appropriate to introductory level courses in media, psychology and sociology. Examples and illustrations are drawn from historical and contemporary research in the social sciences. The multimedia courseware provides tutorial work on sampling, basic statistics, and techniques for seeking information from databases and other sources. The statistics modules can be used as either part of a detective games or directly in teaching and learning. Brief video lessons in SPSS, using real datasets, are also a feature of the CD-ROM.

  11. Research evaluation and organizational learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansson, Finn

    The paper will address the role of the recent implementation of systems of research evaluation in universities. The role of classic quality control system, the peer review, is to produce the most trustworthy knowledge and at the same time function as a learning system in a peer-to-peer learning p...

  12. Language Learning Motivation in Early Adolescents: Using Mixed Methods Research to Explore Contradiction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wesely, Pamela M.

    2010-01-01

    This mixed methods study with an Explanatory Design is an exploration of students' language learning motivation as it relates to their attrition from a language immersion program. A total of 131 students who had graduated from five public elementary immersion schools responded to surveys, and 33 of those students were interviewed. Data analysis…

  13. EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING METHOD ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND LISTENING SKILLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdülkadir

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the effect of the learning together technique, which is one of the cooperative learning methods, on the development of the listening comprehension and listening skills of the secondary school eighth grade students was investigated. Regarding the purpose of the research, experimental and control groups consisting of 75 students from, Yakutiye district Şair Nef'i Secondary School and Palandöken District, Alparslan Secondary School of Erzurum province were selected. Socio-economic statuses and success rates were taken into consideration when selecting the experimental and control groups. 'Listening-Comprehension Achievement Test' was applied to measure the listening skills of the experimental and control groups. In terms of pre-test scores, it was determined that the listening skills of the experiment and control group were similar. The selected experimental groups were taught by the learning together technique of cooperative learning method for seven weeks and the control group was taught in the traditional way. As a result of the research, the 'Listening-Comprehension Achievement Test', which was applied as the pre-test to the experimental and control groups, was applied again as the final test. When the findings obtained from the research were examined, it was determined that the students in the experimental group were more successful than the students in the control group in terms of post - test achievement scores. When the results of the study are examined, it can be said that the learning together technique, which is one of the cooperative learning methods, is more effective than the traditional learning method in improving the listening comprehension and the listening skills of the eighth grade students in Turkish class.

  14. Effect of Child Centred Methods on Teaching and Learning of Science Activities in Pre-Schools in Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andiema, Nelly C.

    2016-01-01

    Despite many research studies showing the effectiveness of teacher application of child-centered learning in different educational settings, few studies have focused on teaching and learning activities in Pre-Schools. This research investigates the effect of child centered methods on teaching and learning of science activities in preschools in…

  15. Successful adaptation of a research methods course in South America.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamariz, Leonardo; Vasquez, Diego; Loor, Cecilia; Palacio, Ana

    2017-01-01

    South America has low research productivity. The lack of a structured research curriculum is one of the barriers to conducting research. To report our experience adapting an active learning-based research methods curriculum to improve research productivity at a university in Ecuador. We used a mixed-method approach to test the adaptation of the research curriculum at Universidad Catolica Santiago de Guayaquil. The curriculum uses a flipped classroom and active learning approach to teach research methods. When adapted, it was longitudinal and had 16-hour programme of in-person teaching and a six-month follow-up online component. Learners were organized in theme groups according to interest, and each group had a faculty leader. Our primary outcome was research productivity, which was measured by the succesful presentation of the research project at a national meeting, or publication in a peer-review journal. Our secondary outcomes were knowledge and perceived competence before and after course completion. We conducted qualitative interviews of faculty members and students to evaluate themes related to participation in research. Fifty university students and 10 faculty members attended the course. We had a total of 15 groups. Both knowledge and perceived competence increased by 17 and 18 percentage points, respectively. The presentation or publication rate for the entire group was 50%. The qualitative analysis showed that a lack of research culture and curriculum were common barriers to research. A US-based curriculum can be successfully adapted in low-middle income countries. A research curriculum aids in achieving pre-determined milestones. UCSG: Universidad Catolica Santiago de Guayaquil; UM: University of Miami.

  16. How Design-based Research, Action Research and Interaction Design Contributes to the Development of Designs for Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Majgaard, Gunver; Misfeldt, Morten; Nielsen, Jacob

    2011-01-01

    This article explores how action research, design based research and interaction design can be combined and used in the development of educational robotic tools. Our case study is the development of Number Blocks and it combines physical interaction, learning, and immediate feedback. Number Blocks...... supports the children's understanding of place value in the sense that it allows them to experiment with creating large numbers. The development was done in collaboration with a class of 7-8 year old children and their mathematics teacher. The article argues that elements from different research methods...... allowed a structured approach to projects that combines educational research and innovation of new learning technologies. Key elements of this approach is acknowledging the users input, developing a theoretical pre-analysis and using an iterative approach....

  17. Eating up Experiments: Teaching Research Methods with Classroom Simulation and "Food Detectives"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Jennifer B.

    2014-01-01

    The subject of research methods is often unknown, foreboding, and unappealing to undergraduate communication majors. Thus, in the research methods course, two ways to overcome such issues and achieve learning are by: (1) making the unfamiliar more familiar and accessible; and (2) placing abstract knowledge in its useful real-world context. Making…

  18. Using Qualitative Research to Assess Teaching and Learning in Technology-Infused TILE Classrooms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Horne, Sam; Murniati, Cecilia Titiek; Saichaie, Kem; Jesse, Maggie; Florman, Jean C.; Ingram, Beth F.

    2014-01-01

    This chapter describes the results of an assessment project whose purpose was to improve the faculty-development program for instructors who teach in technology-infused TILE (Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage) classrooms at the University of Iowa. Qualitative research methods were critical for (1) learning about how students and instructors…

  19. Learning outcomes through the cooperative learning team assisted individualization on research methodology’ course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pakpahan, N. F. D. B.

    2018-01-01

    All articles must contain an abstract. The research methodology is a subject in which the materials must be understood by the students who will take the thesis. Implementation of learning should create the conditions for active learning, interactive and effective are called Team Assisted Individualization (TAI) cooperative learning. The purpose of this study: 1) improving student learning outcomes at the course research methodology on TAI cooperative learning. 2) improvement of teaching activities. 3) improvement of learning activities. This study is a classroom action research conducted at the Department of Civil Engineering Universitas Negeri Surabaya. The research subjects were 30 students and lecturer of courses. Student results are complete in the first cycle by 20 students (67%) and did not complete 10 students (33%). In the second cycle students who complete being 26 students (87%) and did not complete 4 students (13%). There is an increase in learning outcomes by 20%. Results of teaching activities in the first cycle obtained the value of 3.15 with the criteria enough well. In the second cycle obtained the value of 4.22 with good criterion. The results of learning activities in the first cycle obtained the value of 3.05 with enough criterion. In the second cycle was obtained 3.95 with good criterion.

  20. Linking theory to practice in learning technology research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cathy Gunn

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available We present a case to reposition theory so that it plays a pivotal role in learning technology research and helps to build an ecology of learning. To support the case, we present a critique of current practice based on a review of articles published in two leading international journals from 2005 to 2010. Our study reveals that theory features only incidentally or not at all in many cases. We propose theory development as a unifying theme for learning technology research study design and reporting. The use of learning design as a strategy to develop and test theories in practice is integral to our argument. We conclude by supporting other researchers who recommend educational design research as a theory focused methodology to move the field forward in productive and consistent ways. The challenge of changing common practice will be involved. However, the potential to raise the profile of learning technology research and improve educational outcomes justifies the effort required.

  1. Young Academics in E-Learning Research - Editorial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Ebner

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The special track “Young Academics in E-Learning Research”, shortly YAER2012, took place within the “International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning” (ICL 2012 in Villach, Austria. The conference slot aims to invite young researchers in the field of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL to present their thesis or ongoing work. We asked for contributions, which address the interdisciplinary research field. YAER 2012 provided an excellent space for discussions in order to improve learning and teaching of tomorrow. Education without technology seems to be nearly impossible and this issue helps to increase the impact of technology for learning.

  2. The Implementation of Research-based Learning on Biology Seminar Course in Biology Education Study Program of FKIP UMRAH

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amelia, T.

    2018-04-01

    Biology Seminar is a course in Biology Education Study Program of Faculty of Teacher Training and Education University of Maritim Raja Ali Haji (FKIP UMRAH) that requires students to have the ability to apply scientific attitudes, perform scientific writing and undertake scientific publications on a small scale. One of the learning strategies that can drive the achievement of learning outcomes in this course is Research-Based Learning. Research-Based Learning principles are considered in accordance with learning outcomes in Biology Seminar courses and generally in accordance with the purpose of higher education. On this basis, this article which is derived from a qualitative research aims at describing Research-based Learning on Biology Seminar course. Based on a case study research, it was known that Research-Based Learning on Biology Seminar courses is applied through: designing learning activities around contemporary research issues; teaching research methods, techniques and skills explicitly within program; drawing on personal research in designing and teaching courses; building small-scale research activities into undergraduate assignment; and infusing teaching with the values of researchers.

  3. Measuring the learning effectiveness of Web-based teacher professional development in the hypothesis based learning method of teaching science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Penne L.

    2007-12-01

    This study was conducted as part of the five year evaluation of the Star Schools grant awarded to Oklahoma State University for the development on online teacher professional development in the Hypothesis Based Learning (HbL) method of science instruction. Participants in this research were five teachers who had completed the online workshop, submitted a lesson plan, and who allowed this researcher and other members of the University of New Mexico Evaluation Team into their classrooms to observe and to determine if the learning of the method from the online HbL workshop had translated into practice. These teachers worked in inner city, suburban, metropolitan, and rural communities in the U.S. Southwest. This study was conducted to determine if teachers learned the HbL method from the online HbL workshop, to examine the relationship of satisfaction to learning, and to determine the elements of the online workshop that led to teacher learning. To measure learning of HbL, three different assessment instruments were used: embedded assessments within the online HbL workshop that gave teachers a scenario and asked them to generate questions to facilitate the HbL process; the analysis of a lesson plan provided by teachers using a science concept that they wished to incorporate in their curriculum using an HbL lesson template provided at the HbL website; and, observations of teachers facilitating the HbL process conducted at three different times during the year that they began the HbL online workshop. To determine if teachers were satisfied with the learning environment, the online HbL workshop, and the product, HbL Method for Teaching Science, and to determine if teachers could identify the elements of the online workshop that led to learning, interviews with the participants were conducted. The research findings were presented in two parts: Part I is an analysis of data provided by the assessment instruments and a content analysis of the transcripts of the teacher

  4. Geometrical methods in learning theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burdet, G.; Combe, Ph.; Nencka, H.

    2001-01-01

    The methods of information theory provide natural approaches to learning algorithms in the case of stochastic formal neural networks. Most of the classical techniques are based on some extremization principle. A geometrical interpretation of the associated algorithms provides a powerful tool for understanding the learning process and its stability and offers a framework for discussing possible new learning rules. An illustration is given using sequential and parallel learning in the Boltzmann machine

  5. Twelve tips for getting started using mixed methods in medical education research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavelle, Ellen; Vuk, Jasna; Barber, Carolyn

    2013-04-01

    Mixed methods research, which is gaining popularity in medical education, provides a new and comprehensive approach for addressing teaching, learning, and evaluation issues in the field. The aim of this article is to provide medical education researchers with 12 tips, based on consideration of current literature in the health professions and in educational research, for conducting and disseminating mixed methods research. Engaging in mixed methods research requires consideration of several major components: the mixed methods paradigm, types of problems, mixed method designs, collaboration, and developing or extending theory. Mixed methods is an ideal tool for addressing a full range of problems in medical education to include development of theory and improving practice.

  6. A critical review of research on strategies in learning Chinese as both a second and foreign language

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoli Jiang

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available This article critically reviews strategy research on learning Chinese both as a second and foreign language. Through a careful examination of major data bases in both the Chinese and English languages, the article summarizes research in the field and the principal research methods used in the studies reviewed. Moreover, key limitations in research designs, inconsistencies in reported findings, inappropriate use of research methods, and weaknesses in both Chinese- and English-language publications are discussed. The article concludes by calling for future research paying more attention to current language learning strategy theories and practices.

  7. COGNITIVE LOAD MEASUREMENT WITHIN THE RESEARCH OF EFFICIENT USAGE OF LEARNING SOFTWARE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetiana M. Derkach

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available The methods of cognitive load measurement are described within the research of efficient usage of learning Software. Their classification is given, main advantages and disadvantages are analyzed, as well as area of use of these methods is defined. The article presents an overview of modern Software and Hardware that can be used for cognitive load measurement while studying with information technologies and practical examples of such methods. The use of the secondary task method is reasoned to be the most optimal for cognitive load measurement as well as for detection of optimal conditions for student work with different learning materials. This method allows to receive objective quantification of cognitive load and to investigate its dynamics accurately.

  8. Teaching learning methods of an entrepreneurship curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    KERAMAT ESMI

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: One of the most significant elements of entrepreneurship curriculum design is teaching-learning methods, which plays a key role in studies and researches related to such a curriculum. It is the teaching method, and systematic, organized and logical ways of providing lessons that should be consistent with entrepreneurship goals and contents, and should also be developed according to the learners’ needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to introduce appropriate, modern, and effective methods of teaching entrepreneurship and their validation Methods: This is a mixed method research of a sequential exploratory kind conducted through two stages: a developing teaching methods of entrepreneurship curriculum, and b validating developed framework. Data were collected through “triangulation” (study of documents, investigating theoretical basics and the literature, and semi-structured interviews with key experts. Since the literature on this topic is very rich, and views of the key experts are vast, directed and summative content analysis was used. In the second stage, qualitative credibility of research findings was obtained using qualitative validation criteria (credibility, confirmability, and transferability, and applying various techniques. Moreover, in order to make sure that the qualitative part is reliable, reliability test was used. Moreover, quantitative validation of the developed framework was conducted utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods and Cronbach’s alpha. The data were gathered through distributing a three-aspect questionnaire (direct presentation teaching methods, interactive, and practical-operational aspects with 29 items among 90 curriculum scholars. Target population was selected by means of purposive sampling and representative sample. Results: Results obtained from exploratory factor analysis showed that a three factor structure is an appropriate method for describing elements of

  9. The Journal of Learning Analytics: Supporting and Promoting Learning Analytics Research

    OpenAIRE

    Siemens, George

    2014-01-01

    The paper gives a brief overview of the main activities for the development of the emerging field of learning analytics led by the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR). The place of the Journal of Learning Analytics is identified Analytics is the most significant new initiative of SoLAR. 

  10. The "Journal of Learning Analytics": Supporting and Promoting Learning Analytics Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siemens, George

    2014-01-01

    The paper gives a brief overview of the main activities for the development of the emerging field of learning analytics led by the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR). The place of the "Journal of Learning Analytics" is identified. Analytics is the most significant new initiative of SoLAR.

  11. Reconceptualizing Design Research in the Age of Mobile Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bannan, Brenda; Cook, John; Pachler, Norbert

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to begin to examine how the intersection of mobile learning and design research prompts the reconceptualization of research and design individually as well as their integration appropriate for current, complex learning environments. To fully conceptualize and reconceptualize design research in mobile learning, the…

  12. Debating Curricular Strategies for Teaching Statistics and Research Methods: What Does the Current Evidence Suggest?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barron, Kenneth E.; Apple, Kevin J.

    2014-01-01

    Coursework in statistics and research methods is a core requirement in most undergraduate psychology programs. However, is there an optimal way to structure and sequence methodology courses to facilitate student learning? For example, should statistics be required before research methods, should research methods be required before statistics, or…

  13. Organizational safety factors research lessons learned

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryan, T.G.

    1995-01-01

    This Paper reports lessons learned and state of knowledge gained from an organizational factors research activity involving commercial nuclear power plants in the United States, through the end of 1991, as seen by the scientists immediately involved in the research. Lessons learned information was gathered from the research teams and individuals using a question and answer format. The following five questions were submitted to each team and individual: (1) What organizational factors appear to influence safety performance in some systematic way, (2) Should organizational factors research focus at the plant level, or should it extend beyond the plant level to the parent company, rate setting commissions, regulatory agencies, (3) How important is having direct access to plants for doing organizational factors research, (4) What lessons have been learned to date as the result of doing organizational factors research in a nuclear regulatory setting, and (5) What organizational research topics and issues should be pursued in the future? Conclusions based on the responses provided for this report are that organizational factors research can be conducted in a regulatory setting and produce useful results. Technologies pioneered in other academic, commercial, and military settings can be adopted for use in a nuclear regulatory setting. The future success of such research depends upon the cooperation of regulators, contractors, and the nuclear industry

  14. Design based action research in the world of robot technology and learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Majgaard, Gunver

    2010-01-01

    Why is design based action research method important in the world of robot technology and learning? The article explores how action research and interaction-driven design can be used in development of educational robot technological tools. The actual case is the development of “Fraction Battle......” which is about learning fractions in primary school. The technology is based on robot technology. An outdoor digital playground is taken into to the classroom and then redesigned. The article argues for interaction design takes precedence to technology or goal driven design for development...... of educational tools....

  15. Implementation of the e-learning method for technological research institutes utilization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinheiro, Valderes Fernandes; Silva, Aucyone Augusto da; Rogero, Jose Roberto

    2002-01-01

    The e-learning is a subject that is attracting all teaching institution at the present because the number of interested student is growing in the same proportion of communication technology facilities is getting more easy and low cost to be used. Most of universities and colleges are adapting their classes to on-line and a new market is growing very fast all around the world. Of course that these institutions are also worried about the quality of the online teaching materials and also methodologies used to delivery them. This paper will explore some models that are being used in online classes and also will present the contribution of this research in developing a new teaching model that will applied in the technological research institutions like IPEN/CNEN-SP. This model should be technical and economical self-sufficient and it is emphasized in the customers technological needs. The model's variables are interactivity levels with the technology, use of internet tools (chat, forum, discussion list), teacher and student relationship, knowledge evaluation, etc. (author)

  16. A Method for the Analysis of Data from Online Educational Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hramiak, Alison

    2005-01-01

    Much of what can be described as online learning research and analysis advocates the use of software not only to collect the data, for example via an application such as a virtual learning environment, but also to analyze it, using a package such as NUDIST© or NVivo©. The intention of this article is to provide an alternative method of data…

  17. A study on the engineering education methods with a learning management system

    OpenAIRE

    海老澤, 賢史; Ebisawa, Satoshi

    2017-01-01

    The educational methods with Learning Management System (LMS) are described, which are applied to two specialized courses for engineering education and a research guidance for graduation work at Niigata Institute of Technology.According to the analysis of LMS usage situation for graduation work, the LMS has provided an effect that learning time outside class hour is held and the convenience of students in learning is enhanced.In the specializedcourses, the rate of utilization of LMS has depen...

  18. Deep learning versus traditional machine learning methods for aggregated energy demand prediction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paterakis, N.G.; Mocanu, E.; Gibescu, M.; Stappers, B.; van Alst, W.

    2018-01-01

    In this paper the more advanced, in comparison with traditional machine learning approaches, deep learning methods are explored with the purpose of accurately predicting the aggregated energy consumption. Despite the fact that a wide range of machine learning methods have been applied to

  19. Teaching learning methods of an entrepreneurship curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esmi, Keramat; Marzoughi, Rahmatallah; Torkzadeh, Jafar

    2015-10-01

    One of the most significant elements of entrepreneurship curriculum design is teaching-learning methods, which plays a key role in studies and researches related to such a curriculum. It is the teaching method, and systematic, organized and logical ways of providing lessons that should be consistent with entrepreneurship goals and contents, and should also be developed according to the learners' needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to introduce appropriate, modern, and effective methods of teaching entrepreneurship and their validation. This is a mixed method research of a sequential exploratory kind conducted through two stages: a) developing teaching methods of entrepreneurship curriculum, and b) validating developed framework. Data were collected through "triangulation" (study of documents, investigating theoretical basics and the literature, and semi-structured interviews with key experts). Since the literature on this topic is very rich, and views of the key experts are vast, directed and summative content analysis was used. In the second stage, qualitative credibility of research findings was obtained using qualitative validation criteria (credibility, confirmability, and transferability), and applying various techniques. Moreover, in order to make sure that the qualitative part is reliable, reliability test was used. Moreover, quantitative validation of the developed framework was conducted utilizing exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods and Cronbach's alpha. The data were gathered through distributing a three-aspect questionnaire (direct presentation teaching methods, interactive, and practical-operational aspects) with 29 items among 90 curriculum scholars. Target population was selected by means of purposive sampling and representative sample. Results obtained from exploratory factor analysis showed that a three factor structure is an appropriate method for describing elements of teaching-learning methods of entrepreneurship curriculum

  20. Qualitative Insights from a Canadian Multiinstitutional Research Study: In Search of Meaningful E-learning

    OpenAIRE

    Lorraine M. Carter; Vince Salyers; Sue Myers; Carol Hipfner; Caroline Hoffart; Christa MacLean; Kathy White; Theresa Matus; Vivian Forssman; Penelope Barrett

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports the qualitative findings of a mixed methods research study conducted at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Called the Meaningful E-learning or MEL project, the study was an exploration of the teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students as well as their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of e-learning. Importantly, e-learning was conceptualized as the integration of pedagogy, instructional technology, and the Internet into teaching ...

  1. Action Research as a Space for Transforming Learning Cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Wołodźko

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article presents a three-year educational action research project on autonomous and reflective learning. Students and teachers, being actively engaged in many learning practices, were both participating in process(es of developing educational and research community. These interrelated processes framed a dynamic space for constructing and reconstructing the participants’ learning cultures. Thanks to linking educational and research aspects of students’ activity and to interpenetration of practice and reflection, action research generates particular conditions for learning cultures’ transformation, from “traditional” toward “new” ones, based on reflectivity, authenticity and empowerment. The dynamism of learning cultures was connected to various and conscious and reflective types of educational participation, which affected autonomy of studying (in its numerous dimensions and types, being in turn a constitutive element of participants’ learning cultures.

  2. Learning Psychological Research and Statistical Concepts using Retrieval-based Practice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen Wee Hun eLim

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Research methods and statistics are an indispensable subject in the undergraduate psychology curriculum, but there are challenges associated with teaching it, such as making learning durable. Here we hypothesized that retrieval-based learning promotes long-term retention of statistical knowledge in psychology. Participants either studied the educational material in four consecutive periods, or studied it just once and practised retrieving the information in the subsequent three periods, and then took a final test through which their learning was assessed. Whereas repeated studying yielded better test performance when the final test was immediately administered, repeated practice yielded better performance when the test was administered a week after. The data suggest that retrieval practice enhanced the learning – produced better long-term retention – of statistical knowledge in psychology than did repeated studying.

  3. Research Data Curation Pilots: Lessons Learned

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Minor

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In the spring of 2011, the UC San Diego Research Cyberinfrastructure (RCI Implementation Team invited researchers and research teams to participate in a research curation and data management pilot program. This invitation took the form of a campus-wide solicitation. More than two dozen applications were received and, after due deliberation, the RCI Oversight Committee selected five curation-intensive projects. These projects were chosen based on a number of criteria, including how they represented campus research, varieties of topics, researcher engagement, and the various services required. The pilot process began in September 2011, and will be completed in early 2014. Extensive lessons learned from the pilots are being compiled and are being used in the on-going design and implementation of the permanent Research Data Curation Program in the UC San Diego Library. In this paper, we present specific implementation details of these various services, as well as lessons learned. The program focused on many aspects of contemporary scholarship, including data creation and storage, description and metadata creation, citation and publication, and long term preservation and access. Based on the lessons learned in our processes, the Research Data Curation Program will provide a suite of services from which campus users can pick and choose, as necessary. The program will provide support for the data management requirements from national funding agencies.

  4. ClimateNet: A Machine Learning dataset for Climate Science Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhat, M.; Biard, J.; Ganguly, S.; Ames, S.; Kashinath, K.; Kim, S. K.; Kahou, S.; Maharaj, T.; Beckham, C.; O'Brien, T. A.; Wehner, M. F.; Williams, D. N.; Kunkel, K.; Collins, W. D.

    2017-12-01

    Deep Learning techniques have revolutionized commercial applications in Computer vision, speech recognition and control systems. The key for all of these developments was the creation of a curated, labeled dataset ImageNet, for enabling multiple research groups around the world to develop methods, benchmark performance and compete with each other. The success of Deep Learning can be largely attributed to the broad availability of this dataset. Our empirical investigations have revealed that Deep Learning is similarly poised to benefit the task of pattern detection in climate science. Unfortunately, labeled datasets, a key pre-requisite for training, are hard to find. Individual research groups are typically interested in specialized weather patterns, making it hard to unify, and share datasets across groups and institutions. In this work, we are proposing ClimateNet: a labeled dataset that provides labeled instances of extreme weather patterns, as well as associated raw fields in model and observational output. We develop a schema in NetCDF to enumerate weather pattern classes/types, store bounding boxes, and pixel-masks. We are also working on a TensorFlow implementation to natively import such NetCDF datasets, and are providing a reference convolutional architecture for binary classification tasks. Our hope is that researchers in Climate Science, as well as ML/DL, will be able to use (and extend) ClimateNet to make rapid progress in the application of Deep Learning for Climate Science research.

  5. Implementation of K-Means Clustering Method for Electronic Learning Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latipa Sari, Herlina; Suranti Mrs., Dewi; Natalia Zulita, Leni

    2017-12-01

    Teaching and Learning process at SMK Negeri 2 Bengkulu Tengah has applied e-learning system for teachers and students. The e-learning was based on the classification of normative, productive, and adaptive subjects. SMK Negeri 2 Bengkulu Tengah consisted of 394 students and 60 teachers with 16 subjects. The record of e-learning database was used in this research to observe students’ activity pattern in attending class. K-Means algorithm in this research was used to classify students’ learning activities using e-learning, so that it was obtained cluster of students’ activity and improvement of student’s ability. Implementation of K-Means Clustering method for electronic learning model at SMK Negeri 2 Bengkulu Tengah was conducted by observing 10 students’ activities, namely participation of students in the classroom, submit assignment, view assignment, add discussion, view discussion, add comment, download course materials, view article, view test, and submit test. In the e-learning model, the testing was conducted toward 10 students that yielded 2 clusters of membership data (C1 and C2). Cluster 1: with membership percentage of 70% and it consisted of 6 members, namely 1112438 Anggi Julian, 1112439 Anis Maulita, 1112441 Ardi Febriansyah, 1112452 Berlian Sinurat, 1112460 Dewi Anugrah Anwar and 1112467 Eka Tri Oktavia Sari. Cluster 2:with membership percentage of 30% and it consisted of 4 members, namely 1112463 Dosita Afriyani, 1112471 Erda Novita, 1112474 Eskardi and 1112477 Fachrur Rozi.

  6. The method of global learning in teaching foreign languages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatjana Dragovič

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available The authors describe the method of global learning of foreign languages, which is based on the principles of neurolinguistic programming (NLP. According to this theory, the educator should use the method of the so-called periphery learning, where students learn relaxation techniques and at the same time they »incidentally « or subconsciously learn a foreign language. The method of global learning imitates successful strategies of learning in early childhood and therefore creates a relaxed attitude towards learning. Global learning is also compared with standard methods.

  7. Do students’ styles of learning affect how they adapt to learning methods and to the learning environment?

    OpenAIRE

    Topal, Kenan; Sarıkaya, Özlem; Basturk, Ramazan; Buke, Akile

    2015-01-01

    Objectives: The process of development and evaluation of undergraduate medical education programs should include analysis of learners’ characteristics, needs, and perceptions about learning methods. This study aims to evaluate medical students’ perceptions about problem-based learning methods and to compare these results with their individual learning styles.Materials and Methods: The survey was conducted at Marmara University Medical School where problem-based learning was implemented in the...

  8. Incorporating Service-Learning, Technology, and Research Supportive Teaching Techniques into the University Chemistry Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saitta, E. K. H.; Bowdon, M. A.; Geiger, C. L.

    2011-01-01

    Technology was integrated into service-learning activities to create an interactive teaching method for undergraduate students at a large research institution. Chemistry students at the University of Central Florida partnered with high school students at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in interactive service learning projects. The…

  9. Social learning research in ecological economics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Siebenhüner, Bernd; Rodela, Romina; Ecker, Franz

    2016-01-01

    Social learning studies emerged as part of the ecological economics research agenda rather recently. Questions of how human societies and organisations learn and transition on the basis of environmental knowledge relate to the core ideas of ecological economics with its pluralistic understanding

  10. Naturalistic Inquiry in E-Learning Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shirley Agostinho

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article, the author explains how and why one particular qualitative research approach, the naturalistic inquiry paradigm, was implemented in an e-learning research study that investigated the use of the World Wide Web technology in higher education. A framework is presented that situates the research study within the qualitative research literature. The author then justifies how the study was compliant with naturalistic inquiry and concludes by presenting a model for judging the quality of such research. The purpose of this article is to provide an example of how naturalistic inquiry can be implemented in e-learning research that can serve as a guide for researchers undertaking this form of qualitative inquiry. As such, the focus of the article is to illustrate how methodological issues pertaining to naturalistic inquiry were addressed and justified to represent a rigorous research approach rather than presenting the results of the research study.

  11. Teaching Experientially with the Madeline Hunter Method: An Application in a Marketing Research Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Alvin C.

    2006-01-01

    Due to concerns about the disparity of learning and the high nonresponse rates encountered by student marketing research teams working with sponsors, the author adopted the Hunter Method to restructure his course. This method requires the use of a model onto which students can map their learning via guided practice as well as independent practice.…

  12. Reflexive Learning through Visual Methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frølunde, Lisbeth

    2014-01-01

    What. This chapter concerns how visual methods and visual materials can support visually oriented, collaborative, and creative learning processes in education. The focus is on facilitation (guiding, teaching) with visual methods in learning processes that are designerly or involve design. Visual...... methods are exemplified through two university classroom cases about collaborative idea generation processes. The visual methods and materials in the cases are photo elicitation using photo cards, and modeling with LEGO Serious Play sets. Why. The goal is to encourage the reader, whether student...... or professional, to facilitate with visual methods in a critical, reflective, and experimental way. The chapter offers recommendations for facilitating with visual methods to support playful, emergent designerly processes. The chapter also has a critical, situated perspective. Where. This chapter offers case...

  13. Thai Undergraduate Chemistry Practical Learning Experiences Using the Jigsaw IV Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansoon, Ninna; Somsook, Ekasith; Coll, Richard K.

    2008-01-01

    The research reported in this study consisted of an investigation of student learning experiences in Thai chemistry laboratories using the Jigsaw IV method. A hands-on experiment based on the Jigsaw IV method using a real life example based on green tea beverage was designed to improve student affective variables for studying topics related to…

  14. An Innovative Teaching Method To Promote Active Learning: Team-Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balasubramanian, R.

    2007-12-01

    Traditional teaching practice based on the textbook-whiteboard- lecture-homework-test paradigm is not very effective in helping students with diverse academic backgrounds achieve higher-order critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Consequently, there is a critical need for developing a new pedagogical approach to create a collaborative and interactive learning environment in which students with complementary academic backgrounds and learning skills can work together to enhance their learning outcomes. In this presentation, I will discuss an innovative teaching method ('Team-Based Learning (TBL)") which I recently developed at National University of Singapore to promote active learning among students in the environmental engineering program with learning abilities. I implemented this new educational activity in a graduate course. Student feedback indicates that this pedagogical approach is appealing to most students, and promotes active & interactive learning in class. Data will be presented to show that the innovative teaching method has contributed to improved student learning and achievement.

  15. E-Learning Research and Development: On Evaluation, Learning Performance, and Visual Attention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüth, Marco

    2017-01-01

    Digital learning is becoming a prevalent everyday human behavior. Effective digital learning services are integral for educational innovation and constitute competitive advantages for education businesses. Quality management in e-learning research and development is thus of utmost importance and needs both strong conceptual and empirical…

  16. DL-ReSuMe: A Delay Learning-Based Remote Supervised Method for Spiking Neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taherkhani, Aboozar; Belatreche, Ammar; Li, Yuhua; Maguire, Liam P

    2015-12-01

    Recent research has shown the potential capability of spiking neural networks (SNNs) to model complex information processing in the brain. There is biological evidence to prove the use of the precise timing of spikes for information coding. However, the exact learning mechanism in which the neuron is trained to fire at precise times remains an open problem. The majority of the existing learning methods for SNNs are based on weight adjustment. However, there is also biological evidence that the synaptic delay is not constant. In this paper, a learning method for spiking neurons, called delay learning remote supervised method (DL-ReSuMe), is proposed to merge the delay shift approach and ReSuMe-based weight adjustment to enhance the learning performance. DL-ReSuMe uses more biologically plausible properties, such as delay learning, and needs less weight adjustment than ReSuMe. Simulation results have shown that the proposed DL-ReSuMe approach achieves learning accuracy and learning speed improvements compared with ReSuMe.

  17. Involving users with learning difficulties in health improvement: lessons from inclusive learning disability research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walmsley, Jan

    2004-03-01

    In this paper the author considers the lessons to be drawn from what is termed "inclusive" learning disability research for user involvement around health improvement. Inclusive learning disability research refers to research where people with learning difficulties (intellectual disability) are involved as active participants, as opposed to passive subjects. There is by now a considerable body of such research, developed over the past 25 years. From the review, the author draws attention to areas which can inform practice in involvement of users in a way that adds value.

  18. Experiential Learning and Research Ethics: Enhancing Knowledge through Action

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira-Poit, Stephanie M.; Cameron, Abigail E.; Schulman, Michael D.

    2011-01-01

    How can instructors use experiential learning strategies to enhance student understanding of research ethics and responsible research conduct? In this article, the authors review literature on using experiential learning to teach research ethics and responsible research conduct. They present a three-step exercise for teaching research ethics and…

  19. Intelligent Detection of Structure from Remote Sensing Images Based on Deep Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, L.

    2018-04-01

    Utilizing high-resolution remote sensing images for earth observation has become the common method of land use monitoring. It requires great human participation when dealing with traditional image interpretation, which is inefficient and difficult to guarantee the accuracy. At present, the artificial intelligent method such as deep learning has a large number of advantages in the aspect of image recognition. By means of a large amount of remote sensing image samples and deep neural network models, we can rapidly decipher the objects of interest such as buildings, etc. Whether in terms of efficiency or accuracy, deep learning method is more preponderant. This paper explains the research of deep learning method by a great mount of remote sensing image samples and verifies the feasibility of building extraction via experiments.

  20. Aligning professional skills and active learning methods: an application for information and communications technology engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorens, Ariadna; Berbegal-Mirabent, Jasmina; Llinàs-Audet, Xavier

    2017-07-01

    Engineering education is facing new challenges to effectively provide the appropriate skills to future engineering professionals according to market demands. This study proposes a model based on active learning methods, which is expected to facilitate the acquisition of the professional skills most highly valued in the information and communications technology (ICT) market. The theoretical foundations of the study are based on the specific literature on active learning methodologies. The Delphi method is used to establish the fit between learning methods and generic skills required by the ICT sector. An innovative proposition is therefore presented that groups the required skills in relation to the teaching method that best develops them. The qualitative research suggests that a combination of project-based learning and the learning contract is sufficient to ensure a satisfactory skills level for this profile of engineers.

  1. Engaging youth in post-disaster research: Lessons learned from a creative methods approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lori Peek

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Children and youth often demonstrate resilience and capacity in the face of disasters. Yet, they are typically not given the opportunities to engage in youth-driven research and lack access to official channels through which to contribute their perspectives to policy and practice during the recovery process. To begin to fill this void in research and action, this multi-site research project engaged youth from disaster-affected communities in Canada and the United States. This article presents a flexible youth-centric workshop methodology that uses participatory and arts-based methods to elicit and explore youth’s disaster and recovery experiences. The opportunities and challenges associated with initiating and maintaining partnerships, reciprocity and youth-adult power differentials using arts-based methods, and sustaining engagement in post-disaster settings, are discussed. Ultimately, this work contributes to further understanding of the methods being used to conduct research for, with, and about youth. Keywords: youth, disaster recovery, engagement, resilience, arts-based methods, participatory research

  2. Ideas and Approaches for Teaching Undergraduate Research Methods in the Health Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peachey, Andrew A.; Baller, Stephanie L.

    2015-01-01

    Training in research methodology is becoming more commonly expected within undergraduate curricula designed to prepare students for entry into graduate allied health programs. Little information is currently available about pedagogical strategies to promote undergraduate students' learning of research methods, and less yet is available discussing…

  3. New e-learning method using databases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreea IONESCU

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to present a new e-learning method that use databases. The solution could pe implemented for any typeof e-learning system in any domain. The article will purpose a solution to improve the learning process for virtual classes.

  4. Approximation Methods for Inference and Learning in Belief Networks: Progress and Future Directions

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Pazzan, Michael

    1997-01-01

    .... In this research project, we have investigated methods and implemented algorithms for efficiently making certain classes of inference in belief networks, and for automatically learning certain...

  5. Learning outcomes associated with patient simulation method in pharmacotherapy education: an integrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aura, Suvi M; Sormunen, Marjorita S T; Jordan, Sue E; Tossavainen, Kerttu A; Turunen, Hannele E

    2015-06-01

    The aims of this systematic integrative review were to identify evidence for the use of patient simulation teaching methods in pharmacotherapy education and to explore related learning outcomes. A systematic literature search was conducted using 6 databases as follows: CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, ERIC, MEDIC, and the Cochrane Library, using the key words relating to patient simulation and pharmacotherapy. The methodological quality of each study was evaluated. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria. The earliest article was published in 2005. The selected research articles were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Patient simulation has been used in pharmacotherapy education for preregistration nursing, dental, medical, and pharmacy students and for the continuing education of nurses. Learning outcomes reported were summarized as follows: (1) commitment to pharmacotherapy learning, (2) development of pharmacotherapy evaluation skills, (3) improvement in pharmacotherapy application skills, and (4) knowledge and understanding of pharmacotherapy. To develop effective teaching methods and ensure health care professionals' competence in medication management, further research is needed to determine the educational and clinical effectiveness of simulation teaching methods.

  6. Advancing Research on Undergraduate Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singer, Susan Rundell

    2013-01-01

    This special issue of "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" reflects conclusions and recommendations in the "Discipline-Based Education Research" (DBER) report and makes a substantial contribution to advancing the field. Research on undergraduate science learning is currently a loose affiliation of related fields. The…

  7. Trends in Research on Writing as a Learning Activity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Perry D. Klein

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This article discusses five trends in research on writing as a learning activity. Firstly, earlier decades were marked by conflicting views about the effects of writing on learning; in the past decade, the use of meta-analysis has shown that the effects of writing on learning are reliable, and that several variables mediate and moderate these effects. Secondly, in earlier decades, it was thought that text as a medium inherently elicited thinking and learning. Research during the past decade has indicated that writing to learn is a self-regulated activity, dependent on the goals and strategies of the writer. Thirdly, the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC movement emphasized domain-general approaches to WTL. Much recent research is consistent with the Writing in the Disciplines (WID movement, incorporating genres that embody forms of reasoning specific to a given discipline. Fourthly, WTL as a classroom practice was always partially social, but the theoretical conceptualization of it was largely individual. During the past two decades, WTL has broadened to include theories and research that integrate social and psychological processes. Fifthly, WTL research has traditionally focused on epistemic learning in schools; more recently, it has been extended to include reflective learning in the professions and additional kinds of outcomes.

  8. Cooperative Learning and Learning Achievement in Social Science Subjects for Sociable Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herpratiwi; Darsono; Sasmiati; Pujiyatli

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The research objective was to compare students' learning achievement for sociable learning motivation students in social science (IPS) using cooperative learning. Research Methods: This research used a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test/post-test design involving 35 fifth-grade students. The learning process was conducted four…

  9. RULE-BASE METHOD FOR ANALYSIS OF QUALITY E-LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    darsih darsih darsih

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Assessing the quality of e-learning courses to measure the success of e-learning systems in online learning is essential. The system can be used to improve education. The study analyzes the quality of e-learning course on the web site www.kulon.undip.ac.id used a questionnaire with questions based on the variables of ISO 9126. Penilaiann Likert scale was used with a web app. Rule-base reasoning method is used to subject the quality of e-learningyang assessed. A case study conducted in four e-learning courses with 133 sample / respondents as users of the e-learning course. From the obtained results of research conducted both for the value of e-learning from each subject tested. In addition, each e-learning courses have different advantages depending on certain variables. Keywords : E-Learning, Rule-Base, Questionnaire, Likert, Measuring.

  10. The research-based learning development model as a foundation in generating research ideas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puspitasari, Poppy; Dika, Johan Wayan; Permanasari, Avita Ayu

    2017-09-01

    Research Based Learning is learning that requires students to have exploration skills related to their field. By doing so, students are encouraged to create skills in managing the higherorder of abstraction in order to resolve any problems encountered. The study was done to make the schemes and sequences of learning needed by the students in order to help them to explore first ideas for their upcoming thesis. The scheme development resulted in five stages consisting of 1) identifying research journals; 2) track the development of research topics; 3) reviewing research journals; 4) discussing the results of the reviews; and 5) formulating the research topic. Furthermore, the application of 5 the stage receives percentage agreement of students was 85.9%. Therefore, it can be noted that the application of the scheme is definitely a help for students to find research ideas.

  11. Practitioner research to promote practice development: the continued development by means of practitioner research of a multidisciplinary learning environment within neurorehabilitation care for older persons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cyrilla van der Donk

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Continuous innovation is required to help clinical practice adapt to healthcare demand and there is a pressing need for sufficient numbers of professionals trained to work in this ever-changing context. New environments for learning are needed to enhance the development of these skills for existing and future care professionals. This article gives an account of how practitioner research was used to further develop a multidisciplinary learning environment for students of the Institute of Health Studies and the Institute of Nursing Studies of HAN University of Applied Sciences in a department specialising in neurorehabilitation for older persons from ZZG Herstelhotel, a public hospital offering long-term residential care in the Netherlands. Aim: The aim of the study was to pursue the development of the learning environment by exploring stakeholders’ visions of their ideal multidisciplinary learning environment. Method: Practitioner research was chosen as a methodology as it deliberately seeks to generate local knowledge and theories through exploring different perspectives, and to encourage learning and reflection. A research group was formed consisting of the first author and three practice supervisors. A mixed-methods approach was used by the research group. First, a selection of relevant publications was reviewed by the group. This was followed by learning sessions in which students, supervisors and managers were invited to dream and design on the basis of their own experiences, thereby linking up with the constructionist-based change approach of Appreciative Inquiry. Results: A collective view of the characteristics of a workbased learning environment was developed by students, supervisors and managers. These characteristics were placed in one of four ideal perspectives: the core professional competencies to be acquired; the resources available; the learning culture; and the supervision. Not all students valued multidisciplinary

  12. EVALUATION OF THE LEARNING SYSTEM BASED ON RESEARCH (SABI IN THE CICS UMA IPN BIOCHEMISTRY UNIT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blanca Elisa Pérez-Magaña

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Learning is a steward, permanent, and participatory process where: the apprentice, teacher, classmates, institution and other social factors where the student performs. As detonator of learning is research, which is made from real events that are addressed on the basis of the scientific development of the State of the art. One of the key elements in the professional training of students is the method that is used. Research-based learning system is an educational innovation (SABI, which was used in the learning of basic sciences of the Cardiovascular apparatus in generations unit 33rd, 34th, 35th, 36th and 37th generations in the years of 2008 to 2012's career in medicine and as a result was a decrease in the number of students reproachedimproving achievement. This method is an excellent alternative in the teaching-learning process and can be used both in groups with a variable number of students.

  13. Performance of machine learning methods for ligand-based virtual screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plewczynski, Dariusz; Spieser, Stéphane A H; Koch, Uwe

    2009-05-01

    Computational screening of compound databases has become increasingly popular in pharmaceutical research. This review focuses on the evaluation of ligand-based virtual screening using active compounds as templates in the context of drug discovery. Ligand-based screening techniques are based on comparative molecular similarity analysis of compounds with known and unknown activity. We provide an overview of publications that have evaluated different machine learning methods, such as support vector machines, decision trees, ensemble methods such as boosting, bagging and random forests, clustering methods, neuronal networks, naïve Bayesian, data fusion methods and others.

  14. Active learning methods for interactive image retrieval.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gosselin, Philippe Henri; Cord, Matthieu

    2008-07-01

    Active learning methods have been considered with increased interest in the statistical learning community. Initially developed within a classification framework, a lot of extensions are now being proposed to handle multimedia applications. This paper provides algorithms within a statistical framework to extend active learning for online content-based image retrieval (CBIR). The classification framework is presented with experiments to compare several powerful classification techniques in this information retrieval context. Focusing on interactive methods, active learning strategy is then described. The limitations of this approach for CBIR are emphasized before presenting our new active selection process RETIN. First, as any active method is sensitive to the boundary estimation between classes, the RETIN strategy carries out a boundary correction to make the retrieval process more robust. Second, the criterion of generalization error to optimize the active learning selection is modified to better represent the CBIR objective of database ranking. Third, a batch processing of images is proposed. Our strategy leads to a fast and efficient active learning scheme to retrieve sets of online images (query concept). Experiments on large databases show that the RETIN method performs well in comparison to several other active strategies.

  15. Adaptive e-learning methods and IMS Learning Design. An integrated approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Burgos, Daniel; Specht, Marcus

    2006-01-01

    Please, cite this publication as: Burgos, D., & Specht, M. (2006). Adaptive e-learning methods and IMS Learning Design. In Kinshuk, R. Koper, P. Kommers, P. Kirschner, D. G. Sampson & W. Didderen (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (pp.

  16. Formal to Informal Learning with IT: Research Challenges and Issues for E-Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cox, M.J.

    2013-01-01

    For the purpose of clarity and consistency, the term e-learning is used throughout the paper to refer to technology-enhanced learning and information technology (IT) in teaching and learning. IT depicts computing and other IT resources. Research into e-learning has changed in focus and breadth over the last four decades as a consequence of…

  17. An Active-Learning Approach to Fostering Understanding of Research Methods in Large Classes

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaCosse, Jennifer; Ainsworth, Sarah E.; Shepherd, Melissa A.; Ent, Michael; Klein, Kelly M.; Holland-Carter, Lauren A.; Moss, Justin H.; Licht, Mark; Licht, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    The current investigation tested the effectiveness of an online student research project designed to supplement traditional methods (e.g., lectures, discussions, and assigned readings) of teaching research methods in a large-enrollment Introduction to Psychology course. Over the course of the semester, students completed seven assignments, each…

  18. Ustvarjanje produktivnega geografskega učnega okolja z vidika učnih stilov, oblik in metod = Creating the productive geographical learning environment from the point of view of learning-styles and learning-methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lea Nemec

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Experiences, which we receive in space (indirectly influence on education process respectivelyon learning-environment. Because of that is the most productive learning-environmentthose witch founded on experiential-learning. In this research experience took the leadingplace in forming didactical approaches in teaching geography and to define learning-stylesand methods respectively in the direction of creating representative geographical learningenvironment.

  19. Multiresolution, Geometric, and Learning Methods in Statistical Image Processing, Object Recognition, and Sensor Fusion

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Willsky, Alan

    2004-01-01

    .... Our research blends methods from several fields-statistics and probability, signal and image processing, mathematical physics, scientific computing, statistical learning theory, and differential...

  20. Evaluation framework based on fuzzy measured method in adaptive learning systems

    OpenAIRE

    Houda Zouari Ounaies, ,; Yassine Jamoussi; Henda Hajjami Ben Ghezala

    2008-01-01

    Currently, e-learning systems are mainly web-based applications and tackle a wide range of users all over the world. Fitting learners’ needs is considered as a key issue to guaranty the success of these systems. Many researches work on providing adaptive systems. Nevertheless, evaluation of the adaptivity is still in an exploratory phase. Adaptation methods are a basic factor to guaranty an effective adaptation. This issue is referred as meta-adaptation in numerous researches. In our research...

  1. PredPsych: A toolbox for predictive machine learning-based approach in experimental psychology research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koul, Atesh; Becchio, Cristina; Cavallo, Andrea

    2017-12-12

    Recent years have seen an increased interest in machine learning-based predictive methods for analyzing quantitative behavioral data in experimental psychology. While these methods can achieve relatively greater sensitivity compared to conventional univariate techniques, they still lack an established and accessible implementation. The aim of current work was to build an open-source R toolbox - "PredPsych" - that could make these methods readily available to all psychologists. PredPsych is a user-friendly, R toolbox based on machine-learning predictive algorithms. In this paper, we present the framework of PredPsych via the analysis of a recently published multiple-subject motion capture dataset. In addition, we discuss examples of possible research questions that can be addressed with the machine-learning algorithms implemented in PredPsych and cannot be easily addressed with univariate statistical analysis. We anticipate that PredPsych will be of use to researchers with limited programming experience not only in the field of psychology, but also in that of clinical neuroscience, enabling computational assessment of putative bio-behavioral markers for both prognosis and diagnosis.

  2. Effects of Cooperative Learning Method on the Development of Listening Comprehension and Listening Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirbas, Abdulkadir

    2017-01-01

    In this study, the effect of the learning together technique, which is one of the cooperative learning methods, on the development of the listening comprehension and listening skills of the secondary school eighth grade students was investigated. Regarding the purpose of the research, experimental and control groups consisting of 75 students from,…

  3. Bridging the gap: Cognitive and social approaches to research in second language learning and teaching. Editor's introduction & Editor's closing thoughts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hulstijn, J.H.; Young, R.F.; Ortega, L.

    2014-01-01

    For some, research in learning and teaching of a second language (L2) runs the risk of disintegrating into irreconcilable approaches to L2 learning and use. On the one side, we find researchers investigating linguistic-cognitive issues, often using quantitative research methods including inferential

  4. Student Achievement in Basic College Mathematics: Its Relationship to Learning Style and Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunthorpe, Sydney

    2006-01-01

    From the assumption that matching a student's learning style with the learning method best suited for the student, it follows that developing courses that correlate learning method with learning style would be more successful for students. Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI) in New Mexico has attempted to provide students with more…

  5. Improving Junior High School Students' Mathematical Analogical Ability Using Discovery Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maarif, Samsul

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the influence of discovery learning method towards the mathematical analogical ability of junior high school's students. This is a research using factorial design 2x2 with ANOVA-Two ways. The population of this research included the entire students of SMPN 13 Jakarta (State Junior High School 13 of Jakarta)…

  6. Prediction of Student Dropout in E-Learning Program Through the Use of Machine Learning Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingjie Tan

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The high rate of dropout is a serious problem in E-learning program. Thus it has received extensive concern from the education administrators and researchers. Predicting the potential dropout students is a workable solution to prevent dropout. Based on the analysis of related literature, this study selected student’s personal characteristic and academic performance as input attributions. Prediction models were developed using Artificial Neural Network (ANN, Decision Tree (DT and Bayesian Networks (BNs. A large sample of 62375 students was utilized in the procedures of model training and testing. The results of each model were presented in confusion matrix, and analyzed by calculating the rates of accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measure. The results suggested all of the three machine learning methods were effective in student dropout prediction, and DT presented a better performance. Finally, some suggestions were made for considerable future research.

  7. Online Statistics Labs in MSW Research Methods Courses: Reducing Reluctance toward Statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, William; Choi, Eunhee; Friedline, Terri

    2013-01-01

    This article presents results from an evaluation of an online statistics lab as part of a foundations research methods course for master's-level social work students. The article discusses factors that contribute to an environment in social work that fosters attitudes of reluctance toward learning and teaching statistics in research methods…

  8. A partial economic evaluation of blended learning in teaching health research methods: a three-university collaboration in South Africa, Sweden, and Uganda

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minna Kumpu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Novel research training approaches are needed in global health, particularly in sub-Saharan African universities, to support strengthening of health systems and services. Blended learning (BL, combining face-to-face teaching with computer-based technologies, is also an accessible and flexible education method for teaching global health and related topics. When organised as inter-institutional collaboration, BL also has potential for sharing teaching resources. However, there is insufficient data on the costs of BL in higher education. Objective: Our goal was to evaluate the total provider costs of BL in teaching health research methods in a three-university collaboration. Design: A retrospective evaluation was performed on a BL course on randomised controlled trials, which was led by Stellenbosch University (SU in South Africa and joined by Swedish and Ugandan universities. For all three universities, the costs of the BL course were evaluated using activity-based costing with an ingredients approach. For SU, the costs of the same course delivered with a classroom learning (CL approach were also estimated. The learning outcomes of both approaches were explored using course grades as an intermediate outcome measure. Results: In this contextually bound pilot evaluation, BL had substantially higher costs than the traditional CL approach in South Africa, even when average per-site or per-student costs were considered. Staff costs were the major cost driver in both approaches, but total staff costs were three times higher for the BL course at SU. This implies that inter-institutional BL can be more time consuming, for example, due to use of new technologies. Explorative findings indicated that there was little difference in students’ learning outcomes. Conclusions: The total provider costs of the inter-institutional BL course were higher than the CL course at SU. Long-term economic evaluations of BL with societal perspective are

  9. A partial economic evaluation of blended learning in teaching health research methods: a three-university collaboration in South Africa, Sweden, and Uganda.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumpu, Minna; Atkins, Salla; Zwarenstein, Merrick; Nkonki, Lungiswa

    2016-01-01

    Novel research training approaches are needed in global health, particularly in sub-Saharan African universities, to support strengthening of health systems and services. Blended learning (BL), combining face-to-face teaching with computer-based technologies, is also an accessible and flexible education method for teaching global health and related topics. When organised as inter-institutional collaboration, BL also has potential for sharing teaching resources. However, there is insufficient data on the costs of BL in higher education. Our goal was to evaluate the total provider costs of BL in teaching health research methods in a three-university collaboration. A retrospective evaluation was performed on a BL course on randomised controlled trials, which was led by Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa and joined by Swedish and Ugandan universities. For all three universities, the costs of the BL course were evaluated using activity-based costing with an ingredients approach. For SU, the costs of the same course delivered with a classroom learning (CL) approach were also estimated. The learning outcomes of both approaches were explored using course grades as an intermediate outcome measure. In this contextually bound pilot evaluation, BL had substantially higher costs than the traditional CL approach in South Africa, even when average per-site or per-student costs were considered. Staff costs were the major cost driver in both approaches, but total staff costs were three times higher for the BL course at SU. This implies that inter-institutional BL can be more time consuming, for example, due to use of new technologies. Explorative findings indicated that there was little difference in students' learning outcomes. The total provider costs of the inter-institutional BL course were higher than the CL course at SU. Long-term economic evaluations of BL with societal perspective are warranted before conclusions on full costs and consequences of BL in teaching

  10. Young Academics in E-Learning Research - Editorial

    OpenAIRE

    Martin Ebner; Ortrun Gröblinger; Stephan Waba; Kai Erenli; Erwin Bratengeyer; Reinhard Staber

    2012-01-01

    The special track “Young Academics in E-Learning Research”, shortly YAER2012, took place within the “International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning” (ICL 2012) in Villach, Austria. The conference slot aims to invite young researchers in the field of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) to present their thesis or ongoing work. We asked for contributions, which address the interdisciplinary research field. YAER 2012 provided an excellent space for discussions in order to improve l...

  11. Digital game based learning: A new method in teaching and learning mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Sayed Yusoff bin Syed; Hoe, Tan Wee; Idris, Muhammad Zaffwan bin

    2017-05-01

    Digital game-based learning (DGBL) had been regarded as a sound learning strategy in raising pupils' willingness and interest in many disciplines. Normally, video and digital games are used in the teaching and learning mathematics. based on literature, digital games have proven its capability in making pupils motivated and are more likely to contribute to effective learning mathematics. Hence this research aims to construct a DGBL in the teaching of Mathematics for Year 1 pupils. Then, a quasi-experimental study was carried out in a school located in Gua Musang, Kelantan, involving 39 pupils. Specifically, this article tests the effectiveness of the use of DGBL in the teaching of the topic Addition of Less than 100 on pupil's achievement. This research employed a quasi-experiment, Pre and Post Test of Non-equivalent Control Group design. The data were analysed using the Nonparametric test namely the Mann-Whitney U. The research finding shows the use of the DGBL could increase the pupils' achievement in the topic of Addition of Less than 100. In practice, this research indicates that the DBGL can utilized as an alternative reference strategy for Mathematics teacher.

  12. Soil-pipe interaction modeling for pipe behavior prediction with super learning based methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Fang; Peng, Xiang; Liu, Huan; Hu, Yafei; Liu, Zheng; Li, Eric

    2018-03-01

    Underground pipelines are subject to severe distress from the surrounding expansive soil. To investigate the structural response of water mains to varying soil movements, field data, including pipe wall strains in situ soil water content, soil pressure and temperature, was collected. The research on monitoring data analysis has been reported, but the relationship between soil properties and pipe deformation has not been well-interpreted. To characterize the relationship between soil property and pipe deformation, this paper presents a super learning based approach combining feature selection algorithms to predict the water mains structural behavior in different soil environments. Furthermore, automatic variable selection method, e.i. recursive feature elimination algorithm, were used to identify the critical predictors contributing to the pipe deformations. To investigate the adaptability of super learning to different predictive models, this research employed super learning based methods to three different datasets. The predictive performance was evaluated by R-squared, root-mean-square error and mean absolute error. Based on the prediction performance evaluation, the superiority of super learning was validated and demonstrated by predicting three types of pipe deformations accurately. In addition, a comprehensive understand of the water mains working environments becomes possible.

  13. Using Interactive "Shiny" Applications to Facilitate Research-Informed Learning and Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fawcett, Lee

    2018-01-01

    In this article we discuss our attempt to incorporate research-informed learning and teaching activities into a final year undergraduate Statistics course. We make use of the Shiny web-based application framework for R to develop "Shiny apps" designed to help facilitate student interaction with methods from recently published papers in…

  14. The Best Practice Unit: a model for learning, research and development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean Pierre Wilken

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The Best Practice Unit: a model for learning, research and development The Best Practice Unit (BPU model constitutes a unique form of practice-based research. A variant of the Community of Practice model developed by Wenger, McDermott and Snyder (2002, the BPU has the specific aim of improving professional practice by combining innovation and research. The model is used as a way of working by a group of professionals, researchers and other relevant individuals, who over a period of one to two years, work together towards a desired improvement. The model is characterized by interaction between individual and collective learning processes, the development of new or improved working methods, and the implementation of these methods in daily practice. Multiple knowledge resources are used, including experiential knowledge, professional knowledge and scientific knowledge. The research serves diverse purposes: articulating tacit knowledge, documenting learning and innovation processes, systematically describing the working methods that have been revealed or developed, and evaluating the efficacy of the new methods. Each BPU is supported by a facilitator, whose main task is to optimize learning processes. An analysis of ten different BPUs in different professional fields shows that this is a successful model. The article describes the methodology and results of this study. De Best Practice Unit: een model voor leren, onderzoek en ontwikkeling Het model van de Best Practice Unit (BPU is een unieke vorm van praktijkgericht onderzoek. De Best Practice Unit is een variant van de Community of Practice zoals ontwikkeld door Wenger, McDermott en Snyder (2002 met als specifiek doel om de professionele praktijk te verbeteren door innovatie en onderzoek te combineren. Het model wordt gebruikt om in een periode van 1-2 jaar met een groep professionals, onderzoekers en andere betrokkenen te werken aan een gewenste verbetering. Kenmerkend is de wisselwerking tussen

  15. Capturing readiness to learn and collaboration as explored with an interprofessional simulation scenario: A mixed-methods research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rossler, Kelly L; Kimble, Laura P

    2016-01-01

    Didactic lecture does not lend itself to teaching interprofessional collaboration. High-fidelity human patient simulation with a focus on clinical situations/scenarios is highly conducive to interprofessional education. Consequently, a need for research supporting the incorporation of interprofessional education with high-fidelity patient simulation based technology exists. The purpose of this study was to explore readiness for interprofessional learning and collaboration among pre-licensure health professions students participating in an interprofessional education human patient simulation experience. Using a mixed methods convergent parallel design, a sample of 53 pre-licensure health professions students enrolled in nursing, respiratory therapy, health administration, and physical therapy programs within a college of health professions participated in high-fidelity human patient simulation experiences. Perceptions of interprofessional learning and collaboration were measured with the revised Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) and the Health Professional Collaboration Scale (HPCS). Focus groups were conducted during the simulation post-briefing to obtain qualitative data. Statistical analysis included non-parametric, inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. Pre- and post-RIPLS demonstrated pre-licensure health professions students reported significantly more positive attitudes about readiness for interprofessional learning post-simulation in the areas of team work and collaboration, negative professional identity, and positive professional identity. Post-simulation HPCS revealed pre-licensure nursing and health administration groups reported greater health collaboration during simulation than physical therapy students. Qualitative analysis yielded three themes: "exposure to experiential learning," "acquisition of interactional relationships," and "presence of chronology in role preparation

  16. Combining Project-Based Learning and Community-Based Research in a Research Methodology Course: The Lessons Learned

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arantes do Amaral, João Alberto; Lino dos Santos, Rebeca Júlia Rodrigues

    2018-01-01

    In this article, we present our findings regarding the course "Research Methodology," offered to 22 first-year undergraduate students studying Administration at the Federal University of São Paulo, Osasco, Brazil. The course, which combined community-based research and project-based learning, was developed during the second semester of…

  17. Linking theory to practice in learning technology research

    OpenAIRE

    Cathy Gunn; Caroline Steel

    2012-01-01

    We present a case to reposition theory so that it plays a pivotal role in learning technology research and helps to build an ecology of learning. To support the case, we present a critique of current practice based on a review of articles published in two leading international journals from 2005 to 2010. Our study reveals that theory features only incidentally or not at all in many cases. We propose theory development as a unifying theme for learning technology research study design and repor...

  18. RO1 Funding for Mixed Methods Research: Lessons learned from the Mixed-Method Analysis of Japanese Depression Project

    OpenAIRE

    Arnault, Denise Saint; Fetters, Michael D.

    2011-01-01

    Mixed methods research has made significant in-roads in the effort to examine complex health related phenomenon. However, little has been published on the funding of mixed methods research projects. This paper addresses that gap by presenting an example of an NIMH funded project using a mixed methods QUAL-QUAN triangulation design entitled “The Mixed-Method Analysis of Japanese Depression.” We present the Cultural Determinants of Health Seeking model that framed the study, the specific aims, ...

  19. A Swarm-Based Learning Method Inspired by Social Insects

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiaoxian; Zhu, Yunlong; Hu, Kunyuan; Niu, Ben

    Inspired by cooperative transport behaviors of ants, on the basis of Q-learning, a new learning method, Neighbor-Information-Reference (NIR) learning method, is present in the paper. This is a swarm-based learning method, in which principles of swarm intelligence are strictly complied with. In NIR learning, the i-interval neighbor's information, namely its discounted reward, is referenced when an individual selects the next state, so that it can make the best decision in a computable local neighborhood. In application, different policies of NIR learning are recommended by controlling the parameters according to time-relativity of concrete tasks. NIR learning can remarkably improve individual efficiency, and make swarm more "intelligent".

  20. Language learning strategy research and modern foreign language teaching and learning in England

    OpenAIRE

    Grenfell, Michael

    2005-01-01

    This paper addresses language learner strategy research. It arises from two sources: firstly, an individual background in research and writing about Language Learning Strategy research in the context of Modern Foreign Language Learning and Teaching in the UK over the past decades; secondly, a newly constituted British based interest group dedicated to this area of applied linguistics - UK Project on Language Learner Strategies (UKPOLLS). The aim of this SIG paper is to introduce and present t...

  1. Methods for control over learning individual trajectory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitsel, A. A.; Cherniaeva, N. V.

    2015-09-01

    The article discusses models, methods and algorithms of determining student's optimal individual educational trajectory. A new method of controlling the learning trajectory has been developed as a dynamic model of learning trajectory control, which uses score assessment to construct a sequence of studied subjects.

  2. A problem with inclusion in learning disability research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClimens, Alex; Allmark, Peter

    2011-09-01

    People with severe learning disability are particularly difficult to include in the research process. As a result, researchers may be tempted to focus on those with learning disability who can be included. The problem is exacerbated in this field as the political agenda of inclusion and involvement is driven by those people with learning disability who are the higher functioning. To overcome this we should first detach the notion of consent from ideas about autonomy and think instead of it as a way to avoid wronging others; this fits the original historical use of consent in research. This allows us to think in terms of including participants to the best of their abilities rather than in terms of a threshold of autonomy. Researchers could then use imaginative ways to include the least able and to ensure they are not wronged in research or by exclusion from it.

  3. Accessible Article: Involving People with Learning Disabilities in Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garbutt, Ruth; Tattersall, John; Dunn, Jo; Boycott-Garnett, Rachel

    2010-01-01

    This is an article that talks about our research about sex and relationships for people with learning disabilities. It talks about how people with learning disabilities have been fully involved in the research. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

  4. Learning as Researchers and Teachers: The Development of a Pedagogical Culture for Social Science Research Methods?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilburn, Daniel; Nind, Melanie; Wiles, Rose

    2014-01-01

    In light of calls to improve the capacity for social science research within UK higher education, this article explores the possibilities for an emerging pedagogy for research methods. A lack of pedagogical culture in this field has been identified by previous studies. In response, we examine pedagogical literature surrounding approaches for…

  5. Mixed methods research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halcomb, Elizabeth; Hickman, Louise

    2015-04-08

    Mixed methods research involves the use of qualitative and quantitative data in a single research project. It represents an alternative methodological approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches, which enables nurse researchers to explore complex phenomena in detail. This article provides a practical overview of mixed methods research and its application in nursing, to guide the novice researcher considering a mixed methods research project.

  6. Models of Learning Space: Integrating Research on Space, Place and Learning in Higher Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, R. A.; Goodyear, P.

    2016-01-01

    Learning space research is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the design, evaluation and management of learning spaces. This paper reviews a dispersed and fragmented literature relevant to understanding connections between university learning spaces and student learning activities. From this review, the paper distils a number of…

  7. Understanding the effects of time on collaborative learning processes in problem based learning: a mixed methods study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hommes, J; Van den Bossche, P; de Grave, W; Bos, G; Schuwirth, L; Scherpbier, A

    2014-10-01

    Little is known how time influences collaborative learning groups in medical education. Therefore a thorough exploration of the development of learning processes over time was undertaken in an undergraduate PBL curriculum over 18 months. A mixed-methods triangulation design was used. First, the quantitative study measured how various learning processes developed within and over three periods in the first 1,5 study years of an undergraduate curriculum. Next, a qualitative study using semi-structured individual interviews focused on detailed development of group processes driving collaborative learning during one period in seven tutorial groups. The hierarchic multilevel analyses of the quantitative data showed that a varying combination of group processes developed within and over the three observed periods. The qualitative study illustrated development in psychological safety, interdependence, potency, group learning behaviour, social and task cohesion. Two new processes emerged: 'transactive memory' and 'convergence in mental models'. The results indicate that groups are dynamic social systems with numerous contextual influences. Future research should thus include time as an important influence on collaborative learning. Practical implications are discussed.

  8. Qualitative Insights from a Canadian Multi-Institutional Research Study: In Search of Meaningful E-Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Lorraine M.; Salyers, Vince; Myers, Sue; Hipfner, Carol; Hoffart, Caroline; MacLean, Christa; White, Kathy; Matus, Theresa; Forssman, Vivian; Barrett, Penelope

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports the qualitative findings of a mixed methods research study conducted at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Called the Meaningful E-learning or MEL project, the study was an exploration of the teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students as well as their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of…

  9. In silico machine learning methods in drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobchev, Dimitar A; Pillai, Girinath G; Karelson, Mati

    2014-01-01

    Machine learning (ML) computational methods for predicting compounds with pharmacological activity, specific pharmacodynamic and ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity) properties are being increasingly applied in drug discovery and evaluation. Recently, machine learning techniques such as artificial neural networks, support vector machines and genetic programming have been explored for predicting inhibitors, antagonists, blockers, agonists, activators and substrates of proteins related to specific therapeutic targets. These methods are particularly useful for screening compound libraries of diverse chemical structures, "noisy" and high-dimensional data to complement QSAR methods, and in cases of unavailable receptor 3D structure to complement structure-based methods. A variety of studies have demonstrated the potential of machine-learning methods for predicting compounds as potential drug candidates. The present review is intended to give an overview of the strategies and current progress in using machine learning methods for drug design and the potential of the respective model development tools. We also regard a number of applications of the machine learning algorithms based on common classes of diseases.

  10. The Guided Autobiography Method: A Learning Experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, James E.

    2008-01-01

    This article discusses the proposition that learning is an unexplored feature of the guided autobiography method and its developmental exchange. Learning, conceptualized and explored as the embedded and embodied processes, is essential in narrative activities of the guided autobiography method leading to psychosocial development and growth in…

  11. Secure Learning and Learning for Security: Research in the Intersection

    OpenAIRE

    Rubinstein, Benjamin

    2010-01-01

    Statistical Machine Learning is used in many real-world systems, such as web search, network and power management, online advertising, finance and health services, in which adversaries are incentivized to attack the learner, motivating the urgent need for a better understanding of the security vulnerabilities of adaptive systems. Conversely, research in Computer Security stands to reap great benefits by leveraging learning for building adaptive defenses and even designing intelligent attacks ...

  12. Blending research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches to researching computer corpora for language learning.

    OpenAIRE

    Boulton , Alex

    2011-01-01

    International audience; This paper outlines how corpora (in printed, electronic or multi-modal form) can be used in language learning, an area often referred to as "data-driven learning" or DDL (Johns 1991). The alleged advantages are numerous, but are in need of empirical support which is frequently claimed to be lacking in the field. However, over 80 studies have so far attempted to evaluate some aspect of corpus use by non-native speakers (Boulton 2010): these are briefly reviewed as a who...

  13. Modern machine learning techniques and their applications in cartoon animation research

    CERN Document Server

    Yu, Jun

    2013-01-01

    The integration of machine learning techniques and cartoon animation research is fast becoming a hot topic. This book helps readers learn the latest machine learning techniques, including patch alignment framework; spectral clustering, graph cuts, and convex relaxation; ensemble manifold learning; multiple kernel learning; multiview subspace learning; and multiview distance metric learning. It then presents the applications of these modern machine learning techniques in cartoon animation research. With these techniques, users can efficiently utilize the cartoon materials to generate animations

  14. Introducing the Collaborative E-Learning Design Method (CoED)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ryberg, Thomas; Buus, Lillian; Nyvang, Tom

    2015-01-01

    In this chapter, a specific learning design method is introduced and explained, namely the Collaborative E-learning Design method (CoED), which has been developed through various projects in “e-Learning Lab – Centre for User Driven Innovation, Learning and Design” (Nyvang & Georgsen, 2007). We br...

  15. Sparse feature learning for instrument identification: Effects of sampling and pooling methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yoonchang; Lee, Subin; Nam, Juhan; Lee, Kyogu

    2016-05-01

    Feature learning for music applications has recently received considerable attention from many researchers. This paper reports on the sparse feature learning algorithm for musical instrument identification, and in particular, focuses on the effects of the frame sampling techniques for dictionary learning and the pooling methods for feature aggregation. To this end, two frame sampling techniques are examined that are fixed and proportional random sampling. Furthermore, the effect of using onset frame was analyzed for both of proposed sampling methods. Regarding summarization of the feature activation, a standard deviation pooling method is used and compared with the commonly used max- and average-pooling techniques. Using more than 47 000 recordings of 24 instruments from various performers, playing styles, and dynamics, a number of tuning parameters are experimented including the analysis frame size, the dictionary size, and the type of frequency scaling as well as the different sampling and pooling methods. The results show that the combination of proportional sampling and standard deviation pooling achieve the best overall performance of 95.62% while the optimal parameter set varies among the instrument classes.

  16. Challenges and Prospects of Exchange Activities and Collaborative Learning Towards the Construction of Inclusive Education System : Focusing on eff ective methods of collaborative learning in the future

    OpenAIRE

    Kawai, Norimune; Nosaki, Hitomi

    2014-01-01

    Various studies on Exchange Activities have been conducted and revealed many instruction methods to promote exchanging between students with disabilities and those without disabilities. However, for Collaborative Learning that takes place in children between those students, the number of research studies are limited despite the fact that the importance of research on Collaborative Learning has been pointed out by many researchers and teachers. In this study, the nature of Exchange Activities ...

  17. Undergraduate Research as Engaged Student Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Lorraine W.

    2018-01-01

    This chapter discusses the impact of undergraduate research as a form of engaged student learning. It summarizes the gains reported in post-fellowship assessment essays acquired from students participating in the Auburn University Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. The chapter also discusses the program's efforts to increase opportunities…

  18. Reinventing Learning: A Design-Research Odyssey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrahamson, Dor

    2015-01-01

    Design research is a broad, practice-based approach to investigating problems of education. This approach can catalyze the development of learning theory by fostering opportunities for transformational change in scholars' interpretation of instructional interactions. Surveying a succession of design-research projects, I explain how challenges in…

  19. A Collaborative Action Research Approach to Professional Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleicher, Robert E.

    2014-01-01

    The field of professional development is moving towards the notion of professional learning, highlighting the active learning role that teachers play in changing their knowledge bases, beliefs and practice. This article builds on this idea and argues for creating professional learning that is guided by a collaborative action research (CAR)…

  20. Distance Learning With NASA Lewis Research Center's Learning Technologies Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Ruth

    1998-01-01

    The NASA Lewis Research Center's Learning Technologies Project (LTP) has responded to requests from local school district technology coordinators to provide content for videoconferencing workshops. Over the past year we have offered three teacher professional development workshops that showcase NASA Lewis-developed educational products and NASA educational Internet sites. In order to determine the direction of our involvement with distance learning, the LTP staff conducted a survey of 500 U.S. schools. We received responses from 72 schools that either currently use distance learning or will be using distance learning in 98-99 school year. The results of the survey are summarized in the article. In addition, the article provides information on distance learners, distance learning technologies, and the NASA Lewis LTP videoconferencing workshops. The LTP staff will continue to offer teacher development workshops through videoconferencing during the 98-99 school year. We hope to add workshops on new educational products as they are developed at NASA Lewis.

  1. Implementing Collaborative Learning Methods in the Political Science Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfe, Angela

    2012-01-01

    Collaborative learning is one, among other, active learning methods, widely acclaimed in higher education. Consequently, instructors in fields that lack pedagogical training often implement new learning methods such as collaborative learning on the basis of trial and error. Moreover, even though the benefits in academic circles are broadly touted,…

  2. How the I Shapes the Eye: The Imperative of Reflexivity in Global Service-Learning Qualitative Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Emily

    2015-01-01

    While literature on research methods abounds, little attention has been given to understanding how qualitative researchers and their approaches to research (i.e., the researcher's stance) shape what we know about global service-learning (GSL) and how we come to know what we know about GSL. Researchers often uncritically adopt a particular research…

  3. Learning with Generalization Capability by Kernel Methods of Bounded Complexity

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kůrková, Věra; Sanguineti, M.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 21, č. 3 (2005), s. 350-367 ISSN 0885-064X R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET100300419 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : supervised learning * generalization * model complexity * kernel methods * minimization of regularized empirical errors * upper bounds on rates of approximate optimization Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.186, year: 2005

  4. Learning styles: The learning methods of air traffic control students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Dontae L.

    In the world of aviation, air traffic controllers are an integral part in the overall level of safety that is provided. With a number of controllers reaching retirement age, the Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) was created to provide a stronger candidate pool. However, AT-CTI Instructors have found that a number of AT-CTI students are unable to memorize types of aircraft effectively. This study focused on the basic learning styles (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) of students and created a teaching method to try to increase memorization in AT-CTI students. The participants were asked to take a questionnaire to determine their learning style. Upon knowing their learning styles, participants attended two classroom sessions. The participants were given a presentation in the first class, and divided into a control and experimental group for the second class. The control group was given the same presentation from the first classroom session while the experimental group had a group discussion and utilized Middle Tennessee State University's Air Traffic Control simulator to learn the aircraft types. Participants took a quiz and filled out a survey, which tested the new teaching method. An appropriate statistical analysis was applied to determine if there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups. The results showed that even though the participants felt that the method increased their learning, there was no significant difference between the two groups.

  5. Targeted Learning in Healthcare Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gruber, Susan

    2015-12-01

    The increasing availability of Big Data in healthcare encourages investigators to seek answers to big questions. However, nonparametric approaches to analyzing these data can suffer from the curse of dimensionality, and traditional parametric modeling does not necessarily scale. Targeted learning (TL) combines semiparametric methodology with advanced machine learning techniques to provide a sound foundation for extracting information from data. Predictive models, variable importance measures, and treatment benefits and risks can all be addressed within this framework. TL has been applied in a broad range of healthcare settings, including genomics, precision medicine, health policy, and drug safety. This article provides an introduction to the two main components of TL, targeted minimum loss-based estimation and super learning, and gives examples of applications in predictive modeling, variable importance ranking, and comparative effectiveness research.

  6. [Which learning methods are expected for ultrasound training? Blended learning on trial].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Röhrig, S; Hempel, D; Stenger, T; Armbruster, W; Seibel, A; Walcher, F; Breitkreutz, R

    2014-10-01

    Current teaching methods in graduate and postgraduate training often include frontal presentations. Especially in ultrasound education not only knowledge but also sensomotory and visual skills need to be taught. This requires new learning methods. This study examined which types of teaching methods are preferred by participants in ultrasound training courses before, during and after the course by analyzing a blended learning concept. It also investigated how much time trainees are willing to spend on such activities. A survey was conducted at the end of a certified ultrasound training course. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire based on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in which three categories were defined: category (1) vote for acceptance with a two thirds majority (VAS 67-100%), category (2) simple acceptance (50-67%) and category (3) rejection (learning program with interactive elements, short presentations (less than 20 min), incorporating interaction with the audience, hands-on sessions in small groups, an alternation between presentations and hands-on-sessions, live demonstrations and quizzes. For post-course learning, interactive and media-assisted approaches were preferred, such as e-learning, films of the presentations and the possibility to stay in contact with instructors in order to discuss the results. Participants also voted for maintaining a logbook for documentation of results. The results of this study indicate the need for interactive learning concepts and blended learning activities. Directors of ultrasound courses may consider these aspects and are encouraged to develop sustainable learning pathways.

  7. Collaborative Action Research on Technology Integration for Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chien-Hsing; Ke, Yi-Ting; Wu, Jin-Tong; Hsu, Wen-Hua

    2012-02-01

    This paper briefly reports the outcomes of an action research inquiry on the use of blogs, MS PowerPoint [PPT], and the Internet as learning tools with a science class of sixth graders for project-based learning. Multiple sources of data were essential to triangulate the key findings articulated in this paper. Corresponding to previous studies, the incorporation of technology and project-based learning could motivate students in self-directed exploration. The students were excited about the autonomy over what to learn and the use of PPT to express what they learned. Differing from previous studies, the findings pointed to the lack information literacy among students. The students lacked information evaluation skills, note-taking and information synthesis. All these findings imply the importance of teaching students about information literacy and visual literacy when introducing information technology into the classroom. The authors suggest that further research should focus on how to break the culture of "copy-and-paste" by teaching the skills of note-taking and synthesis through inquiry projects for science learning. Also, further research on teacher professional development should focus on using collaboration action research as a framework for re-designing graduate courses for science teachers in order to enhance classroom technology integration.

  8. Towards Primary School Physics Teaching and Learning: Design Research Approach. Research Report 256

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juuti, Kalle

    2005-01-01

    This thesis describes a project to design a primary school physics learning environment which takes into account teachers' needs, design procedures, properties of the learning environment, and pupil learning outcomes. The project's design team has wide experience in research and development work in relation to science education, the use of ICT in…

  9. Doing Interdisciplinary Mixed Methods Health Care Research: Working the Boundaries, Tensions, and Synergistic Potential of Team-Based Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hesse-Biber, Sharlene

    2016-04-01

    Current trends in health care research point to a shift from disciplinary models to interdisciplinary team-based mixed methods inquiry designs. This keynote address discusses the problems and prospects of creating vibrant mixed methods health care interdisciplinary research teams that can harness their potential synergy that holds the promise of addressing complex health care issues. We examine the range of factors and issues these types of research teams need to consider to facilitate efficient interdisciplinary mixed methods team-based research. It is argued that concepts such as disciplinary comfort zones, a lack of attention to team dynamics, and low levels of reflexivity among interdisciplinary team members can inhibit the effectiveness of a research team. This keynote suggests a set of effective strategies to address the issues that emanate from the new field of research inquiry known as team science as well as lessons learned from tapping into research on organizational dynamics. © The Author(s) 2016.

  10. Wisdom, Uncertainty, and Ambiguity in Management Decisions Based on Experiences and the Trustworthiness of Research Methods to Substantiate Them

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald Jean Degen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Wisdom, uncertainty, and ambiguity will always exist in management decisions. One danger for firms lies in managers making decisions based on faulty theories acquired through personal experiences or learned from the experiences of others. Often, these decisions don’t generate the expected outcome and may even put the future of the firm at risk. Managers, to avoid this risk, are required to become wiser, more discerning, and more appropriately skeptical toward personal theories or theories learned from management gurus that propose simplistic formulas and quick-fix remedies. In this paper, the author discusses the risk of decisions based on personal theories or theories learned from others, the business research methods used to substantiate these theories, the philosophical assumptions of business research, the strength and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methods, the benefits of combining both methods, and the trustworthiness of research methods in general for substantiating the theories used by managers in their decision-making. 

  11. Decomposition methods for unsupervised learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mørup, Morten

    2008-01-01

    This thesis presents the application and development of decomposition methods for Unsupervised Learning. It covers topics from classical factor analysis based decomposition and its variants such as Independent Component Analysis, Non-negative Matrix Factorization and Sparse Coding...... methods and clustering problems is derived both in terms of classical point clustering but also in terms of community detection in complex networks. A guiding principle throughout this thesis is the principle of parsimony. Hence, the goal of Unsupervised Learning is here posed as striving for simplicity...... in the decompositions. Thus, it is demonstrated how a wide range of decomposition methods explicitly or implicitly strive to attain this goal. Applications of the derived decompositions are given ranging from multi-media analysis of image and sound data, analysis of biomedical data such as electroencephalography...

  12. Deep Learning Methods for Underwater Target Feature Extraction and Recognition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gang Hu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The classification and recognition technology of underwater acoustic signal were always an important research content in the field of underwater acoustic signal processing. Currently, wavelet transform, Hilbert-Huang transform, and Mel frequency cepstral coefficients are used as a method of underwater acoustic signal feature extraction. In this paper, a method for feature extraction and identification of underwater noise data based on CNN and ELM is proposed. An automatic feature extraction method of underwater acoustic signals is proposed using depth convolution network. An underwater target recognition classifier is based on extreme learning machine. Although convolution neural networks can execute both feature extraction and classification, their function mainly relies on a full connection layer, which is trained by gradient descent-based; the generalization ability is limited and suboptimal, so an extreme learning machine (ELM was used in classification stage. Firstly, CNN learns deep and robust features, followed by the removing of the fully connected layers. Then ELM fed with the CNN features is used as the classifier to conduct an excellent classification. Experiments on the actual data set of civil ships obtained 93.04% recognition rate; compared to the traditional Mel frequency cepstral coefficients and Hilbert-Huang feature, recognition rate greatly improved.

  13. Case study teaching method improves student performance and perceptions of learning gains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonney, Kevin M

    2015-05-01

    Following years of widespread use in business and medical education, the case study teaching method is becoming an increasingly common teaching strategy in science education. However, the current body of research provides limited evidence that the use of published case studies effectively promotes the fulfillment of specific learning objectives integral to many biology courses. This study tested the hypothesis that case studies are more effective than classroom discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning of key biological concepts, development of written and oral communication skills, and comprehension of the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. This study also tested the hypothesis that case studies produced by the instructor of a course are more effective at promoting learning than those produced by unaffiliated instructors. Additionally, performance on quantitative learning assessments and student perceptions of learning gains were analyzed to determine whether reported perceptions of learning gains accurately reflect academic performance. The results reported here suggest that case studies, regardless of the source, are significantly more effective than other methods of content delivery at increasing performance on examination questions related to chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. This finding was positively correlated to increased student perceptions of learning gains associated with oral and written communication skills and the ability to recognize connections between biological concepts and other aspects of life. Based on these findings, case studies should be considered as a preferred method for teaching about a variety of concepts in science courses.

  14. Case Study Teaching Method Improves Student Performance and Perceptions of Learning Gains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin M. Bonney

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Following years of widespread use in business and medical education, the case study teaching method is becoming an increasingly common teaching strategy in science education. However, the current body of research provides limited evidence that the use of published case studies effectively promotes the fulfillment of specific learning objectives integral to many biology courses. This study tested the hypothesis that case studies are more effective than classroom discussions and textbook reading at promoting learning of key biological concepts, development of written and oral communication skills, and comprehension of the relevance of biological concepts to everyday life. This study also tested the hypothesis that case studies produced by the instructor of a course are more effective at promoting learning than those produced by unaffiliated instructors. Additionally, performance on quantitative learning assessments and student perceptions of learning gains were analyzed to determine whether reported perceptions of learning gains accurately reflect academic performance. The results reported here suggest that case studies, regardless of the source, are significantly more effective than other methods of content delivery at increasing performance on examination questions related to chemical bonds, osmosis and diffusion, mitosis and meiosis, and DNA structure and replication. This finding was positively correlated to increased student perceptions of learning gains associated with oral and written communication skills and the ability to recognize connections between biological concepts and other aspects of life. Based on these findings, case studies should be considered as a preferred method for teaching about a variety of concepts in science courses.

  15. Heuristic Task Analysis on E-Learning Course Development: A Formative Research Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ji-Yeon; Reigeluth, Charles M.

    2009-01-01

    Utilizing heuristic task analysis (HTA), a method developed for eliciting, analyzing, and representing expertise in complex cognitive tasks, a formative research study was conducted on the task of e-learning course development to further improve the HTA process. Three instructional designers from three different post-secondary institutions in the…

  16. Efficient model learning methods for actor-critic control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grondman, Ivo; Vaandrager, Maarten; Buşoniu, Lucian; Babuska, Robert; Schuitema, Erik

    2012-06-01

    We propose two new actor-critic algorithms for reinforcement learning. Both algorithms use local linear regression (LLR) to learn approximations of the functions involved. A crucial feature of the algorithms is that they also learn a process model, and this, in combination with LLR, provides an efficient policy update for faster learning. The first algorithm uses a novel model-based update rule for the actor parameters. The second algorithm does not use an explicit actor but learns a reference model which represents a desired behavior, from which desired control actions can be calculated using the inverse of the learned process model. The two novel methods and a standard actor-critic algorithm are applied to the pendulum swing-up problem, in which the novel methods achieve faster learning than the standard algorithm.

  17. Enhancing Student Learning with Brain-Based Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonnema, Ted R.

    2009-01-01

    This paper discusses brain-based learning and its relation to classroom instruction. A rapidly growing quantity of research currently exists regarding how the brain perceives, processes, and ultimately learns new information. In order to maximize their teaching efficacy, educators should have a basic understanding of key memory functions in the…

  18. Recommender systems for technology enhanced learning research trends and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Manouselis, Nikos; Verbert, Katrien

    2014-01-01

    Presents cutting edge research from leading experts in the growing field of Recommender Systems for Technology Enhanced Learning (RecSys TEL) International contributions are included to demonstrate the merging of various efforts and communities Topics include: Linked Data and the Social Web as Facilitators for TEL Recommender Systems in Research and Practice, Personalised Learning-Plan Recommendations in Game-Based Learning and Recommendations from Heterogeneous Sources in a Technology Enhanced Learning Ecosystem

  19. Research on machine learning framework based on random forest algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Qiong; Cheng, Hui; Han, Hai

    2017-03-01

    With the continuous development of machine learning, industry and academia have released a lot of machine learning frameworks based on distributed computing platform, and have been widely used. However, the existing framework of machine learning is limited by the limitations of machine learning algorithm itself, such as the choice of parameters and the interference of noises, the high using threshold and so on. This paper introduces the research background of machine learning framework, and combined with the commonly used random forest algorithm in machine learning classification algorithm, puts forward the research objectives and content, proposes an improved adaptive random forest algorithm (referred to as ARF), and on the basis of ARF, designs and implements the machine learning framework.

  20. Active teaching methods, studying responses and learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Hans Peter; Vigild, Martin Etchells; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

    2010-01-01

    Students’ study strategies when exposed to activating teaching methods are measured, analysed and compared to study strategies in more traditional lecture-based teaching. The resulting learning outcome is discussed.......Students’ study strategies when exposed to activating teaching methods are measured, analysed and compared to study strategies in more traditional lecture-based teaching. The resulting learning outcome is discussed....

  1. Enriching behavioral ecology with reinforcement learning methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frankenhuis, Willem E; Panchanathan, Karthik; Barto, Andrew G

    2018-02-13

    This article focuses on the division of labor between evolution and development in solving sequential, state-dependent decision problems. Currently, behavioral ecologists tend to use dynamic programming methods to study such problems. These methods are successful at predicting animal behavior in a variety of contexts. However, they depend on a distinct set of assumptions. Here, we argue that behavioral ecology will benefit from drawing more than it currently does on a complementary collection of tools, called reinforcement learning methods. These methods allow for the study of behavior in highly complex environments, which conventional dynamic programming methods do not feasibly address. In addition, reinforcement learning methods are well-suited to studying how biological mechanisms solve developmental and learning problems. For instance, we can use them to study simple rules that perform well in complex environments. Or to investigate under what conditions natural selection favors fixed, non-plastic traits (which do not vary across individuals), cue-driven-switch plasticity (innate instructions for adaptive behavioral development based on experience), or developmental selection (the incremental acquisition of adaptive behavior based on experience). If natural selection favors developmental selection, which includes learning from environmental feedback, we can also make predictions about the design of reward systems. Our paper is written in an accessible manner and for a broad audience, though we believe some novel insights can be drawn from our discussion. We hope our paper will help advance the emerging bridge connecting the fields of behavioral ecology and reinforcement learning. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Transformative Learning: The Role of Research in Traditional Clinical Disciplines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tims, Michael

    2014-01-01

    One of an educator’s main tasks is to develop the intellectual openness of students that is necessary for transformative learning to take place. An initial step in removing the constraint of assumption is to employ the process of unlearning in the classroom. Unlearning in its simplest form can be described as the process through which the student learns to ask questions about a subject on which they are passionate, and through critical reflection, to construct and validate a new understanding based on observations and information generated by the original questions. Developing the ability to improvise and innovate are clear and positive indications that unlearning has occurred, and the Maryland University of Integrative Health’s (MUIH’s) educators have found that integrating research methods into class and group projects can accelerate the unlearning process. MUIH promotes students’ effort to solve interesting problems using the community found within the classroom. The natural state of relativism found in group processes lends itself to making explicit the assumptions each individual brings to the process. MUIH’s methods include engaging students in visual deconstruction of research data found in graphs, tables, and images; having students identify the end point of a line of inquiry; and evaluating a previously accumulated body of evidence to determine if it supports a product’s claims (eg, claims about general health, structure-function, or therapeutic value). The ultimate aim in asking students to take part in research embedded in coursework is to provide an assessment of their abilities that is more closely linked to discipline-specific experience. MUIH’s method of ingraining a culture of inquiry into both classroom and independent research serves to enhance students’ self-awareness about the constraints of their own a priori thinking and to nurture a deeper trust in their own informed intuition. PMID:26770105

  3. The Learning of Biology: A Structural Basis for Future Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Darrel L.

    1977-01-01

    This article reviews recent research studies and experiences relating the learning theories of Ausubel to biology instruction. Also some suggestions are made for future research on the learning of biology. (MR)

  4. Research Trends in the Use of Mobile Learning in Mathematics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crompton, Helen; Burke, Diane

    2015-01-01

    The use of mobile learning in education is growing at an exponential rate. To best understand how mobile learning is being used, it is crucial to gain a collective understanding of the research that has taken place. This research was a systematic review of 36 studies in mobile learning in mathematics from the year 2000 onward. Eight new findings…

  5. A new model in teaching undergraduate research: A collaborative approach and learning cooperatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neal, Pamela V; McClellan, Lynx Carlton; Jarosinski, Judith M

    2016-05-01

    Forming new, innovative collaborative approaches and cooperative learning methods between universities and hospitals maximize learning for undergraduate nursing students in a research course and provide professional development for nurses on the unit. The purpose of this Collaborative Approach and Learning Cooperatives (CALC) Model is to foster working relations between faculty and hospital administrators, maximize small group learning of undergraduate nursing students, and promote onsite knowledge of evidence based care for unit nurses. A quality improvement study using the CALC Model was implemented in an undergraduate nursing research course at a southern university. Hospital administrators provided a list of clinical concerns based on national performance outcome measures. Undergraduate junior nursing student teams chose a clinical question, gathered evidence from the literature, synthesized results, demonstrated practice application, and developed practice recommendations. The student teams developed posters, which were evaluated by hospital administrators. The administrators selected several posters to display on hospital units for continuing education opportunity. This CALC Model is a systematic, calculated approach and an economically feasible plan to maximize personnel and financial resources to optimize collaboration and cooperative learning. Universities and hospital administrators, nurses, and students benefit from working together and learning from each other. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Mixed methods research in music therapy research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradt, Joke; Burns, Debra S; Creswell, John W

    2013-01-01

    Music therapists have an ethical and professional responsibility to provide the highest quality care possible to their patients. Much of the time, high quality care is guided by evidence-based practice standards that integrate the most current, available research in making decisions. Accordingly, music therapists need research that integrates multiple ways of knowing and forms of evidence. Mixed methods research holds great promise for facilitating such integration. At this time, there have not been any methodological articles published on mixed methods research in music therapy. The purpose of this article is to introduce mixed methods research as an approach to address research questions relevant to music therapy practice. This article describes the core characteristics of mixed methods research, considers paradigmatic issues related to this research approach, articulates major challenges in conducting mixed methods research, illustrates four basic designs, and provides criteria for evaluating the quality of mixed methods articles using examples of mixed methods research from the music therapy literature. Mixed methods research offers unique opportunities for strengthening the evidence base in music therapy. Recommendations are provided to ensure rigorous implementation of this research approach.

  7. Deep learning methods for protein torsion angle prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haiou; Hou, Jie; Adhikari, Badri; Lyu, Qiang; Cheng, Jianlin

    2017-09-18

    Deep learning is one of the most powerful machine learning methods that has achieved the state-of-the-art performance in many domains. Since deep learning was introduced to the field of bioinformatics in 2012, it has achieved success in a number of areas such as protein residue-residue contact prediction, secondary structure prediction, and fold recognition. In this work, we developed deep learning methods to improve the prediction of torsion (dihedral) angles of proteins. We design four different deep learning architectures to predict protein torsion angles. The architectures including deep neural network (DNN) and deep restricted Boltzmann machine (DRBN), deep recurrent neural network (DRNN) and deep recurrent restricted Boltzmann machine (DReRBM) since the protein torsion angle prediction is a sequence related problem. In addition to existing protein features, two new features (predicted residue contact number and the error distribution of torsion angles extracted from sequence fragments) are used as input to each of the four deep learning architectures to predict phi and psi angles of protein backbone. The mean absolute error (MAE) of phi and psi angles predicted by DRNN, DReRBM, DRBM and DNN is about 20-21° and 29-30° on an independent dataset. The MAE of phi angle is comparable to the existing methods, but the MAE of psi angle is 29°, 2° lower than the existing methods. On the latest CASP12 targets, our methods also achieved the performance better than or comparable to a state-of-the art method. Our experiment demonstrates that deep learning is a valuable method for predicting protein torsion angles. The deep recurrent network architecture performs slightly better than deep feed-forward architecture, and the predicted residue contact number and the error distribution of torsion angles extracted from sequence fragments are useful features for improving prediction accuracy.

  8. A Research and Study Course for learning the concept of discrete randomvariable using Monte Carlo methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicente D. Estruch

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The concept of random variable is a mathematical construct that presents some theoretical complexity. However, learning  this  concept  can  be  facilitated  if  it  is  presented  as  the  end  of  a  sequential  process  of  modeling  of  a  real event. More specifically, to learn the concept of discrete random variable, the Monte Carlo simulation can provide an extremely useful tool because in the process of modeling / simulation one can approach the theoretical concept of random variable, while the random variable is observed \\in action". This paper presents a Research and Study Course  (RSC  based  on  series  of  activities  related  to  random  variables  such  as  training  and  introduction  of  simulation  elements,  then  the  construction  of  the  model  is  presented,  which  is  the  substantial  part  of  the  activity, generating a random variable and its probability function. Starting from a simple situation related to reproduction and  survival  of  the  litter  of  a  rodent,  with  random  components,  step  by  step,  the  model  that  represents  the  real raised situation is built obtaining an \\original" random variable. In the intermediate stages of the construction of the model have a fundamental role the uniform discrete and binomial distributions. The trajectory of these stages allows reinforcing the concept of random variable while exploring the possibilities offered by Monte Carlo methods to  simulate  real  cases  and  the  simplicity  of  implementing  these  methods  by  means  of  the  Matlab© programming language.

  9. Ethics in Research on Learning: Dialectics of Praxis and Praxeology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SungWon Hwang

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Qualitative social research designed to develop ways of understanding and explaining lived experience of human beings is a reflexive human endeavor. It is reflexive in that as researchers attempt to better understand their participants, they also come to better understand themselves. Consequently, research ethics itself becomes an ethical project, for it pertains to participant and researcher at the same time: Both are subjects, knower and known. Particularly in case of research on learning, reflexivity arises from the fact that the research itself constitutes learning about learning. How is ethics in research on learning reflexive of, in its praxis and praxeology, ongoing events and changes of the human learning? In this study, from our experience of conducting a project designed to inquire into "learning in unfamiliar environments," we develop pertinent ethical issues through a dialectical process—not unlike that used by G.W.F. HEGEL in Phenomenology of Spirit—grounded in our lived experience and developed in three theoretical claims concerning a praxeology of ethics. First, ethics is an ongoing historical event; second, ethics is based on the communicative praxis of material bodies; and third, ethics involves the creation of new communicative configurations. We conclude that ethics is grounded in a fundamental answerability of human beings for their actions, which requires communicative action that itself is a dialectical process in opening up possibilities for acting in an answerable manner. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0501198

  10. PROJECT BASED LEARNING (PBL TO IMPROVE PSYCHOMOTORIC SKILLS: A CLASSROOM ACTION RESEARCH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Sumarni

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the application of project-based learning (PBL to improve student’ psychomotor skills and concept understanding, as well as knowing what PBL contribution to the improvement of student’ psychomotor skills in chemistry learning. The study was conducted in three cycles. Each cycle consisted of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection steps. One set of data consists of student’ psychomotor skills assesment, student’ conceptual understanding and questionnaire responses were obtained from the action research. Learning process was performed in the eleventh grade students included 37 students (10 males and 27 females and 3 collaborators. The successful research was indicated by 85% of students achieve the mastery learning on concept understanding and well on psychomotor aspects. Data collection was performed using documentation method by questionnaire, observations, and tests. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that all aspects of the psychomotor assessed include sets, mechanical response, complex response, adaptation, and origination were in high category. At the end of the lesson, the project assigned to students were evaluated jointly between teachers and students. The project results in the form of a series of distillation apparatus is applied to separate the natural compounds.

  11. FLIPPED CLASSROOM LEARNING METHOD TO IMPROVE CARING AND LEARNING OUTCOME IN FIRST YEAR NURSING STUDENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Putu Wulan Purnama Sari

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: Caring is the essence of nursing profession. Stimulation of caring attitude should start early. Effective teaching methods needed to foster caring attitude and improve learning achievement. This study aimed to explain the effect of applying flipped classroom learning method for improving caring attitude and learning achievement of new student nurses at nursing institutions in Surabaya. Method: This is a pre-experimental study using the one group pretest posttest and posttest only design. Population was all new student nurses on nursing institutions in Surabaya. Inclusion criteria: female, 18-21 years old, majoring in nursing on their own volition and being first choice during students selection process, status were active in the even semester of 2015/2016 academic year. Sample size was 67 selected by total sampling. Variables: 1 independent: application of flipped classroom learning method; 2 dependent: caring attitude, learning achievement. Instruments: teaching plan, assignment descriptions, presence list, assignment assessment rubrics, study materials, questionnaires of caring attitude. Data analysis: paired and one sample t test. Ethical clearance was available. Results: Most respondents were 20 years old (44.8%, graduated from high school in Surabaya (38.8%, living with parents (68.7% in their homes (64.2%. All data were normally distributed. Flipped classroom learning method could improve caring attitude by 4.13%. Flipped classroom learning method was proved to be effective for improving caring attitude (p=0.021 and learning achievement (p=0.000. Conclusion and Recommendation: Flipped classroom was effective for improving caring attitude and learning achievement of new student nurse. It is recommended to use mix-method and larger sample for further study.

  12. Association of learning styles with research self-efficacy: study of short-term research training program for medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumbauld, Jill; Black, Michelle; Depp, Colin A; Daly, Rebecca; Curran, Maureen A; Winegarden, Babbi; Jeste, Dilip V

    2014-12-01

    With a growing need for developing future physician scientists, identifying characteristics of medical students who are likely to benefit from research training programs is important. This study assessed if specific learning styles of medical students, participating in federally funded short-term research training programs, were associated with research self-efficacy, a potential predictor of research career success. Seventy-five first-year medical students from 28 medical schools, selected to participate in two competitive NIH-supported summer programs for research training in aging, completed rating scales to evaluate learning styles at baseline, and research self-efficacy before and after training. We examined associations of individual learning styles (visual-verbal, sequential-global, sensing-intuitive, and active-reflective) with students' gender, ranking of medical school, and research self-efficacy. Research self-efficacy improved significantly following the training programs. Students with a verbal learning style reported significantly greater research self-efficacy at baseline, while visual, sequential, and intuitive learners demonstrated significantly greater increases in research self-efficacy from baseline to posttraining. No significant relationships were found between learning styles and students' gender or ranking of their medical school. Assessments of learning styles may provide useful information to guide future training endeavors aimed at developing the next generation of physician-scientists. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Active Learning in PhysicsTechnology and Research-based Techniques Emphasizing Interactive Lecture Demonstrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thornton, Ronald

    2010-10-01

    Physics education research has shown that learning environments that engage students and allow them to take an active part in their learning can lead to large conceptual gains compared to traditional instruction. Examples of successful curricula and methods include Peer Instruction, Just in Time Teaching, RealTime Physics, Workshop Physics, Scale-Up, and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs). An active learning environment is often difficult to achieve in lecture sessions. This presentation will demonstrate the use of sequences of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) that use real experiments often involving real-time data collection and display combined with student interaction to create an active learning environment in large or small lecture classes. Interactive lecture demonstrations will be done in the area of mechanics using real-time motion probes and the Visualizer. A video tape of students involved in interactive lecture demonstrations will be shown. The results of a number of research studies at various institutions (including international) to measure the effectiveness of ILDs and guided inquiry conceptual laboratories will be presented.

  14. Comparing statistical and machine learning classifiers: alternatives for predictive modeling in human factors research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnahan, Brian; Meyer, Gérard; Kuntz, Lois-Ann

    2003-01-01

    Multivariate classification models play an increasingly important role in human factors research. In the past, these models have been based primarily on discriminant analysis and logistic regression. Models developed from machine learning research offer the human factors professional a viable alternative to these traditional statistical classification methods. To illustrate this point, two machine learning approaches--genetic programming and decision tree induction--were used to construct classification models designed to predict whether or not a student truck driver would pass his or her commercial driver license (CDL) examination. The models were developed and validated using the curriculum scores and CDL exam performances of 37 student truck drivers who had completed a 320-hr driver training course. Results indicated that the machine learning classification models were superior to discriminant analysis and logistic regression in terms of predictive accuracy. Actual or potential applications of this research include the creation of models that more accurately predict human performance outcomes.

  15. The Role of Research on Science Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Science Teachers Association (NJ1), 2010

    2010-01-01

    Research on science teaching and learning plays an important role in improving science literacy, a goal called for in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and supported by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA 2003). NSTA promotes a research agenda that is focused on the goal of enhancing student learning through effective…

  16. Learning and Study Strategies of Students with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Mixed Method Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bush, Erin; Hux, Karen; Zickefoose, Samantha; Simanek, Gina; Holmberg, Michelle; Henderson, Ambyr

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of four college students with severe traumatic brain injury and people associated with them regarding the use of learning skills and study strategies. The researchers employed a concurrent mixed method design using descriptive quantitative data as well as qualitative multiple case study…

  17. Effectiveness of creative and productive instructional method towards students' learning achievement in steel structure course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugiyanto, Pribadi, Supriyanto, Bambang

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Creative & Productive instructional method compared with conventional method. This research was a quasi-experimental study involving all Civil Engineering students at Universitas Negeri Malang who were taking a course of Steel Structure. The students were randomly assigned to two different treatment groups, 30 students in experimental group and 37 students in the control group. It was assumed that these groups were equal in all relevant aspects; they differed only in the treatment administered. We used the t-test to test the hypothesis. The results of this research suggest that: (l) the use of Creative & Productive instructional method can significantly improve students' learning achievement, (2) the use of Creative & Productive instructional method can significantly improve students' retention, (3) students' motivation has a significant effect on their learning achievement, and (4) students' motivation has a significant effect on their retention.

  18. Researching Learning Difficulties: A Guide for Practitioners

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Jill; Lacey, Penny

    2005-01-01

    The aim of this book is to provide a source for teachers and other professionals working with children and adults with learning difficulties and disabilities that will enable them to: (1) access selected recent and relevant research in the field of learning difficulties, drawn from a range of disciplines and groups of people; (2) reflect on…

  19. The E-Learning Setting Circle: First Steps toward Theory Development in E-Learning Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rüth, Marco; Kaspar, Kai

    2017-01-01

    E-learning projects and related research generate an increasing amount of evidence within and across various disciplines and contexts. The field is very heterogeneous as e-learning approaches are often characterized by rather unique combinations of situational factors that guide the design and realization of e-learning in a bottom-up fashion.…

  20. Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning: Preparing the Future National STEM Faculty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hooper, E. J.; Pfund, C.; Mathieu, R.

    2010-08-01

    A network of universities (Howard, Michigan State, Texas A&M, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt) have created a National Science Foundation-funded network to prepare a future national STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) faculty committed to learning, implementing, and advancing teaching techniques that are effective for the wide range of students enrolled in higher education. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL; http://www.cirtl.net) develops, implements and evaluates professional development programs for future and current faculty. The programs comprise graduate courses, internships, and workshops, all integrated within campus learning communities. These elements are unified and guided by adherence to three core principles, or pillars: "Teaching as Research," whereby research skills are applied to evaluating and advancing undergraduate learning; "Learning through Diversity," in which the diversity of students' backgrounds and experiences are used as a rich resource to enhance teaching and learning; and "Learning Communities" that foster shared learning and discovery among students, and between future and current faculty within a department or institution. CIRTL established a laboratory for testing its ideas and practices at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, known as the Delta Program in Research, Teaching and Learning (http://www.delta.wisc.edu). The program offers project-based graduate courses, research mentor training, and workshops for post-docs, staff, and faculty. In addition, graduate students and post-docs can partner with a faculty member in a teaching-as-research internship to define and tackle a specific teaching and learning problem. Finally, students can obtain a Delta Certificate as testimony to their engagement in and commitment to teaching and learning. Delta has proved very successful, having served over 1500 UW-Madison instructors from graduate

  1. Trafficking and Health: A Systematic Review of Research Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cannon, Abby C; Arcara, Jennet; Graham, Laurie M; Macy, Rebecca J

    2018-04-01

    Trafficking in persons (TIP) is a human rights violation with serious public health consequences. Unfortunately, assessing TIP and its health sequelae rigorously and reliably is challenging due to TIP's clandestine nature, variation in definitions of TIP, and the need to use research methods that ensure studies are ethical and feasible. To help guide practice, policy, and research to assess TIP and health, we undertook a systematic literature review of 70 peer-reviewed, published articles to (a) identify TIP and health research methods being used, (b) determine what we can learn about TIP and health from these varied methodologies, and (c) determine the gaps that exist in health-focused TIP research. Results revealed that there are various quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods being used to investigate TIP and health. Furthermore, findings show that the limitations of current methodologies affect what is known about TIP and health. In particular, varying definitions, participant recruitment strategies, ethical standards, and outcome measures all affect what is known about TIP and health. Moreover, findings demonstrate an urgent need for representative and nonpurposive recruitment strategies in future investigations of TIP and health as well as research on risk and protective factors related to TIP and health, intervention effectiveness, long-term health outcomes, and research on trafficked people beyond women trafficked for sex. We offer recommendations for research, policy, and practice based on review results.

  2. A cross-benchmark comparison of 87 learning to rank methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tax, N.; Bockting, S.; Hiemstra, D.

    2015-01-01

    Learning to rank is an increasingly important scientific field that comprises the use of machine learning for the ranking task. New learning to rank methods are generally evaluated on benchmark test collections. However, comparison of learning to rank methods based on evaluation results is hindered

  3. Color image definition evaluation method based on deep learning method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Di; Li, YingChun

    2018-01-01

    In order to evaluate different blurring levels of color image and improve the method of image definition evaluation, this paper proposed a method based on the depth learning framework and BP neural network classification model, and presents a non-reference color image clarity evaluation method. Firstly, using VGG16 net as the feature extractor to extract 4,096 dimensions features of the images, then the extracted features and labeled images are employed in BP neural network to train. And finally achieve the color image definition evaluation. The method in this paper are experimented by using images from the CSIQ database. The images are blurred at different levels. There are 4,000 images after the processing. Dividing the 4,000 images into three categories, each category represents a blur level. 300 out of 400 high-dimensional features are trained in VGG16 net and BP neural network, and the rest of 100 samples are tested. The experimental results show that the method can take full advantage of the learning and characterization capability of deep learning. Referring to the current shortcomings of the major existing image clarity evaluation methods, which manually design and extract features. The method in this paper can extract the images features automatically, and has got excellent image quality classification accuracy for the test data set. The accuracy rate is 96%. Moreover, the predicted quality levels of original color images are similar to the perception of the human visual system.

  4. Technologies for Learning? An Actor-Network Theory Critique of "Affordances" in Research on Mobile Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Steve; Parchoma, Gale

    2011-01-01

    How is the link between learner and technology made in mobile learning? What is the value of the concept of "affordances"? And how does research articulating this concept act to position mobile devices as "technologies for learning"? This literature review used both unstructured and structured search samples of published research on mobile…

  5. A Learning Method for Neural Networks Based on a Pseudoinverse Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chinmoy Pal

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available A theoretical formulation of a fast learning method based on a pseudoinverse technique is presented. The efficiency and robustness of the method are verified with the help of an Exclusive OR problem and a dynamic system identification of a linear single degree of freedom mass–spring problem. It is observed that, compared with the conventional backpropagation method, the proposed method has a better convergence rate and a higher degree of learning accuracy with a lower equivalent learning coefficient. It is also found that unlike the steepest descent method, the learning capability of which is dependent on the value of the learning coefficient ν, the proposed pseudoinverse based backpropagation algorithm is comparatively robust with respect to its equivalent variable learning coefficient. A combination of the pseudoinverse method and the steepest descent method is proposed for a faster, more accurate learning capability.

  6. Qualitative, quantitative, and data mining methods for analyzing log data to characterize students' learning strategies and behaviors [discussant

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baker, Ryan S.J.d.; Gobert, Janice D.; van Joolingen, Wouter

    2010-01-01

    This symposium addresses how different classes of research methods, all based upon the use of log data from educational software, can facilitate the analysis of students’ learning strategies and behaviors. To this end, four multi-method programs of research are discussed, including the use of

  7. IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS TO LEARN LESSONS ACTIVITIES CHASSIS POWER TRANSFER STANDARD COMPETENCE AND CORRECT STEERING SYSTEM WITH LEARNING METHOD DISCOVERY INQUIRY CLASS XIB SMK MUHAMMADIYAH GAMPING ACADEMIC YEAR 2013/2014

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harry Suharto

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the study to determine the increase learners' learning activities subjects chassis and power transfer competency standard steering system repair discovery learning through the implementation of class XI inquiry Lightweight Vehicle Technology SMK Muhammadiyah Gamping, Sleman academic year 2013/2014. This research including action research   Research conducted at SMK Muhammadiyah Gamping XIB class academic year 2013/2014 with a sample of 26 students. Techniques of data collection using questionnaire sheet, observation sheets and documentation to determine the increase in student activity. Instrument validation study using experts judgment. Analysis using descriptive statistics using the technique .   The results showed that the increased activity of the first cycle to the second cycle include an increase of 57.7 % Visual activities; Oral activities amounted to 61.6 %; Listening activities amounted to 23.04 %; Writing activities by 8.7 %; Mental activities of 73.1 %; Emotional activities of 42.3 % ( for the spirit of the students in learning activities ; Motor activities amounted to -7.7 % ( decrease negative activity . Based on these results can be known to most students in SMK Muhammadiyah Gamping gave a positive opinion on the use of inquiry and discovery learning method has a view that the use of inquiry discovery learning methods can be useful for students and schools themselves. Learners who have a good perception of the use of discovery learning method of inquiry he has known and fully aware of the standards of achievement of competence theory fix the steering system. Learning discovery learning methods on achievement of competency standards inquiry repair steering systems theory pleased with the learning process, they are also able to: 1 increase the motivation to learn, 2 improving learning achievement; 3 enhancing creativity; 4 listen, respect, and accept the opinion of the participants other students; 5 reduce boredom

  8. IP-MLI: An Independency of Learning Materials from Platforms in a Mobile Learning using Intelligent Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Abdallh Otair

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available Attempting to deliver a monolithic mobile learning system is too inflexible in view of the heterogeneous mixture of hardware and services available and the desirability of facility blended approaches to learning delivery, and how to build learning materials to run on all platforms[1]. This paper proposes a framework of mobile learning system using an intelligent method (IP-MLI . A fuzzy matching method is used to find suitable learning material design. It will provide a best matching for each specific platform type for each learner. The main contribution of the proposed method is to use software layer to insulate learning materials from device-specific features. Consequently, many versions of learning materials can be designed to work on many platform types.

  9. Evaluation of Machine Learning Methods for LHC Optics Measurements and Corrections Software

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2206853; Henning, Peter

    The field of artificial intelligence is driven by the goal to provide machines with human-like intelligence. However modern science is currently facing problems with high complexity that cannot be solved by humans in the same timescale as by machines. Therefore there is a demand on automation of complex tasks. To identify the category of tasks which can be performed by machines in the domain of optics measurements and correction on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the central research subjects of this thesis. The application of machine learning methods and concepts of artificial intelligence can be found in various industry and scientific branches. In High Energy Physics these concepts are mostly used in offline analysis of experiments data and to perform regression tasks. In Accelerator Physics the machine learning approach has not found a wide application yet. Therefore potential tasks for machine learning solutions can be specified in this domain. The appropriate methods and their suitability for...

  10. General practitioners learning qualitative research: A case study of postgraduate education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepworth, Julie; Kay, Margaret

    2015-10-01

    Qualitative research is increasingly being recognised as a vital aspect of primary healthcare research. Teaching and learning how to conduct qualitative research is especially important for general practitioners and other clinicians in the professional educational setting. This article examines a case study of postgraduate professional education in qualitative research for clinicians, for the purpose of enabling a robust discussion around teaching and learning in medicine and the health sciences. A series of three workshops was delivered for primary healthcare academics. The workshops were evaluated using a quantitative survey and qualitative free-text responses to enable descriptive analyses. Participants found qualitative philosophy and theory the most difficult areas to engage with, and learning qualitative coding and analysis was considered the easiest to learn. Key elements for successful teaching were identified, including the use of adult learning principles, the value of an experienced facilitator and an awareness of the impact of clinical subcultures on learning.

  11. Passing the baton: Mentoring for adoption of active-learning pedagogies by research-active junior faculty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimes, Catherine Leimkuhler; White, Harold B

    2015-01-01

    There are barriers to adoption of research-based teaching methods. Professional development workshops may inform faculty of these methods, but effective adoption often does not follow. In addition, newly-minted research-active faculty are often overwhelmed by the many new responsibilities (grant writing, group management, laboratory setup, teaching) that accompany the position and normally do not have the time to consider novel teaching approaches. This case study documents how over a three-year period, the responsibility for teaching a nontraditional "Introduction to Biochemistry" course in a problem-based learning format was successfully transferred from a senior faculty member nearing retirement (HBW) to a newly-hired research-active assistant professor (CLG). We describe our apprenticeship project involving modeling, scaffolding, fading, and coaching. We suggest that involving faculty in active-learning pedagogy early in their career with mentoring by senior faculty overcomes barriers to adopting these methods. This case describes a specific example from which potentially useful elements can be adopted and adapted wherever biochemistry is taught. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

  12. Gamma/hadron segregation for a ground based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope using machine learning methods: Random Forest leads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma Mradul; Koul Maharaj Krishna; Mitra Abhas; Nayak Jitadeepa; Bose Smarajit

    2014-01-01

    A detailed case study of γ-hadron segregation for a ground based atmospheric Cherenkov telescope is presented. We have evaluated and compared various supervised machine learning methods such as the Random Forest method, Artificial Neural Network, Linear Discriminant method, Naive Bayes Classifiers, Support Vector Machines as well as the conventional dynamic supercut method by simulating triggering events with the Monte Carlo method and applied the results to a Cherenkov telescope. It is demonstrated that the Random Forest method is the most sensitive machine learning method for γ-hadron segregation. (research papers)

  13. Research workshops as a Means to individual and organizational learning and transformation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sommer, Finn M.; Sprogøe, Jonas; Nygaard Andersen, Randi

    In this empirical paper we explore experiences with organizing so called research workshops in a university of applied science. A research workshop is a action learning oriented didactical and educational format designed to be explorative, and the aim is for the participants to acquire research s...... skills and competencies. However, research workshops are also used strategically to facilitate organizational development. By way of organizational learning theory, we discuss research workshops as way to individual learning and organizational transformation.......In this empirical paper we explore experiences with organizing so called research workshops in a university of applied science. A research workshop is a action learning oriented didactical and educational format designed to be explorative, and the aim is for the participants to acquire research...

  14. Pragmatics of Contemporary Teaching and Learning Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryszard Józef Panfil

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The dynamics of the environment in which educational institutions operate have a significant influence on the basic activity of these institutions, i.e. the process of educating, and particularly teaching and learning methods used during that process: traditional teaching, tutoring, mentoring and coaching. The identity of an educational institution and the appeal of its services depend on how flexible, diverse and adaptable is the educational process it offers as a core element of its services. Such a process is determined by how its pragmatism is displayed in the operational relativism of methods, their applicability, as well as practical dimension of achieved results and values. Based on the above premises, this publication offers a pragmatic-systemic identification of contemporary teaching and learning methods, while taking into account the differences between them and the scope of their compatibility. Secondly, using the case of sport coaches’ education, the author exemplifies the pragmatic theory of perception of contemporary teaching and learning methods.

  15. The Method of High School English Word Learning

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    吴博涵

    2016-01-01

    Most Chinese students are not interested in English learning, especially English words. In this paper, I focus on English vocabulary learning, for example, the study of high school students English word learning method, and also introduce several ways to make vocabulary memory becomes more effective. The purpose is to make high school students grasp more English word learning skills.

  16. Comparison of Internet versus lecture instructional methods for teaching nursing research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo, M A; Kimmick, J V

    2000-01-01

    Although many higher education programs are using the Internet to teach classes, there are few published reports on the effectiveness of this method on test scores or student satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to compare test and student satisfaction scores of graduate nursing students who take a nursing research course via the Internet with those of students who take the same course via traditional lecture instruction. In addition, student technical support use and Internet student lecture attendance also were examined. A total of 97 students (Internet, 44; lectures, 53) participated. There were no significant differences in test scores and overall course student satisfaction (P > .05). However, the Internet students reported significantly higher (P = .04) stimulation of learning compared with the traditional lecture students. Technical support use by the Internet students was high initially and was related to software problems. Of interest were the large proportion of Internet students (73 percent) who attended at least 3 of the 10 lectures. Use of the Internet to teach graduate-level nursing research can provide comparable learning and student satisfaction to traditional lecture instructional methods.

  17. Consumer Behavior Research Methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chrysochou, Polymeros

    2017-01-01

    This chapter starts by distinguishing consumer behavior research methods based on the type of data used, being either secondary or primary. Most consumer behavior research studies phenomena that require researchers to enter the field and collect data on their own, and therefore the chapter...... emphasizes the discussion of primary research methods. Based on the nature of the data primary research methods are further distinguished into qualitative and quantitative. The chapter describes the most important and popular qualitative and quantitative methods. It concludes with an overall evaluation...... of the methods and how to improve quality in consumer behavior research methods....

  18. Novel Study Guides for Biochemistry Meaningful Learning in Biology: a Design-Based Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Costa, C ; Galembeck, E. Costa, C ; Galembeck, E.

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available One of the difficulties for biochemistry learning is the persistence of traditional teaching methods, based on transmission and memorization of abstract and detailed information, usually in a decontextualized way. Such scenario results in surface learning and content reproduction. In order to address these problems, three interventions in a discipline (Metabolism for Biology majors were applied, in the form of innovative teaching tools (study guides. OBJECTIVES: The main goal is to evaluate the impact of these interventions on interest, motivation, and learning of the metabolic pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the development, application, and evaluation of two study guides – one created from a problem used as a contextual connection for glycogen metabolism study and another embedding an integrative view based on glutamate metabolism. Both materials were guided by broad themes like evolution, metabolic adaptation, and comparative biochemistry. The development of the study guides combined submicroscopic (molecular and macroscopic (body, environment levels, aiming to motivate reading and discussion. A design-based research with cycles of application and assessment was carried out, by means of classroom observation, grade analysis in written exams, and students’ interviews. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In general, based on in-class student feedback to professors and to the researcher in the interviews, the study guides arouse curiosity and fostered peer discussion. Final average grades indicate a good global performance in all proposed activities. Whole data from study guides’ application in classroom evidenced their impact on interest, motivation, and learning. The strategy of developing problem or integrative situation linking molecular (micro and contextual (macro levels were helpful to foster critical thinking and to value topics of scientific literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis and interpretation of the results point to benefits for

  19. e-Learning Application for Machine Maintenance Process using Iterative Method in XYZ Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurunisa, Suaidah; Kurniawati, Amelia; Pramuditya Soesanto, Rayinda; Yunan Kurnia Septo Hediyanto, Umar

    2016-02-01

    XYZ Company is a company based on manufacturing part for airplane, one of the machine that is categorized as key facility in the company is Millac 5H6P. As a key facility, the machines should be assured to work well and in peak condition, therefore, maintenance process is needed periodically. From the data gathering, it is known that there are lack of competency from the maintenance staff to maintain different type of machine which is not assigned by the supervisor, this indicate that knowledge which possessed by maintenance staff are uneven. The purpose of this research is to create knowledge-based e-learning application as a realization from externalization process in knowledge transfer process to maintain the machine. The application feature are adjusted for maintenance purpose using e-learning framework for maintenance process, the content of the application support multimedia for learning purpose. QFD is used in this research to understand the needs from user. The application is built using moodle with iterative method for software development cycle and UML Diagram. The result from this research is e-learning application as sharing knowledge media for maintenance staff in the company. From the test, it is known that the application make maintenance staff easy to understand the competencies.

  20. Improving the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning through Classroom Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida, Patrícia; Teixeira-Dias, José Joaquim; Medina, Jorge

    The scholarship of teaching emerged in the last decades as a fundamental concept to the development of good teaching practices in Higher Education and, consequently, to the enhancement of the quality of student learning. Considering that scholarship comprehends a process as well as an outcome, research on teaching and learning should be viewed as one important aspect of the scholarship of teaching. The goal of this essay is to illustrate how the scholarship of teaching and learning can be enhanced through the development of classroom research rooted on students' questioning, conceived and implemented by both university teachers and educational researchers. Valuing and stimulating students' questions offers an innovative dimension to science education as it puts students at a central role in the learning process. This way, encouraging students' questioning also strengthens teaching-research links by bringing teachers and learners together in a community of inquiry.

  1. Question presentation methods for paired-associate learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engel, F.L.; Geerings, M.P.W.

    1988-01-01

    Four different methods of question presentation, in interactive computeraided learning of Dutch-English word pairs are evaluated experimentally. These methods are: 1) the 'open-question method', 2) the 'multiple-choice method', 3) the 'sequential method' and 4) the 'true/ false method'. When

  2. Supporting traditional instructional methods with a constructivist approach to learning: Promoting conceputal change and understanding of stoichiometry using e-learning tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abayan, Kenneth Munoz

    Stoichiometry is a fundamental topic in chemistry that measures a quantifiable relationship between atoms, molecules, etc. Stoichiometry is usually taught using expository teaching methods. Students are passively given information, in the hopes they will retain the transmission of information to be able to solve stoichiometry problems masterfully. Cognitive science research has shown that this kind of instructional teaching method is not very effecting in meaningful learning practice. Instead, students must take ownership of their learning. The students need to actively construct their own knowledge by receiving, interpreting, integrating and reorganizing that information into their own mental schemas. In the absence of active learning practices, tools must be created in such a way to be able to scaffold difficult problems by encoding opportunities necessary to make the construction of knowledge memorable, thereby creating a usable knowledge base. Using an online e-learning tool and its potential to create a dynamic and interactive learning environment may facilitate the learning of stoichiometry. The study entailed requests from volunteer students, IRB consent form, a baseline questionnaire, random assignment of treatment, pre- and post-test assessment, and post assessment survey. These activities were given online. A stoichiometry-based assessment was given in a proctored examination at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) campus. The volunteer students who took part in these studies were at least 18 of age and were enrolled in General Chemistry 1441, at the University of Texas at Arlington. Each participant gave their informed consent to use their data in the following study. Students were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments groups based on teaching methodology, (Dimensional Analysis, Operational Method, Ratios and Proportions) and a control group who just received instruction through lecture only. In this study, an e-learning tool was created to

  3. Addressing Research Design Problem in Mixed Methods Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alavi, Hamed; Hąbek, Patrycja

    2016-03-01

    Alongside other disciplines in social sciences, management researchers use mixed methods research more and more in conduct of their scientific investigations. Mixed methods approach can also be used in the field of production engineering. In comparison with traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods, reasons behind increasing popularity of mixed research method in management science can be traced in different factors. First of all, any particular discipline in management can be theoretically related to it. Second is that concurrent approach of mixed research method to inductive and deductive research logic provides researchers with opportunity to generate theory and test hypothesis in one study simultaneously. In addition, it provides a better justification for chosen method of investigation and higher validity for obtained answers to research questions. Despite increasing popularity of mixed research methods among management scholars, there is still need for a comprehensive approach to research design typology and process in mixed research method from the perspective of management science. The authors in this paper try to explain fundamental principles of mixed research method, its typology and different steps in its design process.

  4. Beyond Assessment: Conducting Theoretically Grounded Research on Service-Learning in Gerontology Courses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruger, Tina M; Pearl, Andrew J

    2016-01-01

    Service-learning is a useful pedagogical tool and high-impact practice, providing multiple benefits. Gerontology (and other) courses frequently include service-learning activities but lack theory-based, intentional research on outcomes. Here, the authors define service-learning and contextualize it in higher education, provide an overview of research and assessment in service-learning and gerontology courses, demonstrate the shortcomings of program evaluations, and offer suggestions for future research to advance and generate theory.

  5. Game-Based Learning in Science Education: A Review of Relevant Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ming-Chaun; Tsai, Chin-Chung

    2013-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to review empirical research articles regarding game-based science learning (GBSL) published from 2000 to 2011. Thirty-one articles were identified through the Web of Science and SCOPUS databases. A qualitative content analysis technique was adopted to analyze the research purposes and designs, game design and implementation, theoretical backgrounds and learning foci of these reviewed studies. The theories and models employed by these studies were classified into four theoretical foundations including cognitivism, constructivism, the socio-cultural perspective, and enactivism. The results indicate that cognitivism and constructivism were the major theoretical foundations employed by the GBSL researchers and that the socio-cultural perspective and enactivism are two emerging theoretical paradigms that have started to draw attention from GBSL researchers in recent years. The analysis of the learning foci showed that most of the digital games were utilized to promote scientific knowledge/concept learning, while less than one-third were implemented to facilitate the students' problem-solving skills. Only a few studies explored the GBSL outcomes from the aspects of scientific processes, affect, engagement, and socio-contextual learning. Suggestions are made to extend the current GBSL research to address the affective and socio-contextual aspects of science learning. The roles of digital games as tutor, tool, and tutee for science education are discussed, while the potentials of digital games to bridge science learning between real and virtual worlds, to promote collaborative problem-solving, to provide affective learning environments, and to facilitate science learning for younger students are also addressed.

  6. The Impact of Cooperative Learning Methods on Elementary Preservice Education Teachers' Mathematics Achievement and Anxiety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swift, Elijah Raford, Jr.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to address the gap in research regarding the use of cooperative learning instructional methods in college mathematics courses to prepare future teachers. Bruner's constructivist theory and social interdependence theory guided this study. The research questions focused on the effects of the use of cooperative learning…

  7. Research on Model of Student Engagement in Online Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Wang

    2017-01-01

    In this study, online learning refers students under the guidance of teachers through the online learning platform for organized learning. Based on the analysis of related research results, considering the existing problems, the main contents of this paper include the following aspects: (1) Analyze and study the current student engagement model.…

  8. Integrating Program Assessment and a Career Focus into a Research Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senter, Mary Scheuer

    2017-01-01

    Sociology research methods students in 2013 and 2016 implemented a series of "real world" data gathering activities that enhanced their learning while assisting the department with ongoing program assessment and program review. In addition to the explicit collection of program assessment data on both students' development of sociological…

  9. Leveraging Random Number Generation for Mastery of Learning in Teaching Quantitative Research Courses via an E-Learning Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boonsathorn, Wasita; Charoen, Danuvasin; Dryver, Arthur L.

    2014-01-01

    E-Learning brings access to a powerful but often overlooked teaching tool: random number generation. Using random number generation, a practically infinite number of quantitative problem-solution sets can be created. In addition, within the e-learning context, in the spirit of the mastery of learning, it is possible to assign online quantitative…

  10. Improving Nursing Students' Learning Outcomes in Fundamentals of Nursing Course through Combination of Traditional and e-Learning Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikhaboumasoudi, Rouhollah; Bagheri, Maryam; Hosseini, Sayed Abbas; Ashouri, Elaheh; Elahi, Nasrin

    2018-01-01

    Fundamentals of nursing course are prerequisite to providing comprehensive nursing care. Despite development of technology on nursing education, effectiveness of using e-learning methods in fundamentals of nursing course is unclear in clinical skills laboratory for nursing students. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of blended learning (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) with traditional learning alone on nursing students' scores. A two-group post-test experimental study was administered from February 2014 to February 2015. Two groups of nursing students who were taking the fundamentals of nursing course in Iran were compared. Sixty nursing students were selected as control group (just traditional learning methods) and experimental group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) for two consecutive semesters. Both groups participated in Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and were evaluated in the same way using a prepared checklist and questionnaire of satisfaction. Statistical analysis was conducted through SPSS software version 16. Findings of this study reflected that mean of midterm (t = 2.00, p = 0.04) and final score (t = 2.50, p = 0.01) of the intervention group (combining e-learning with traditional learning methods) were significantly higher than the control group (traditional learning methods). The satisfaction of male students in intervention group was higher than in females (t = 2.60, p = 0.01). Based on the findings, this study suggests that the use of combining traditional learning methods with e-learning methods such as applying educational website and interactive online resources for fundamentals of nursing course instruction can be an effective supplement for improving nursing students' clinical skills.

  11. Technologies for learning? An actor-network theory critique of ‘affordances' in research on mobile learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gale Parchoma

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available How is the link between learner and technology made in mobile learning? Whatis the value of the concept of ‘affordances'? And how does research articulatingthis concept act to position mobile devices as ‘technologies for learning'? Thisliterature review used both unstructured and structured search samples of publishedresearch on mobile learning to critically evaluate the prevalence and influenceof the concept of the affordances of mobile technologies. Actor-networktheory is drawn on as a theoretical lens through which to critically considerhow this concept is articulated, and in particular to explore the way it positionsand controls mobile devices as technologies for learning. Parallels in contemporaryaccounts of mobile learning are drawn with classifications of previous discoursesaround the introduction of computers into schools. An alternativeagenda for mobile learning research is suggested with a focus on authentic andinformal contexts rather than controlled experiments.

  12. Consensus standards for introductory e-learning courses in human participants research ethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, John R; Sprumont, Dominique; Hirtle, Marie; Adebamowo, Clement; Braunschweiger, Paul; Bull, Susan; Burri, Christian; Czarkowski, Marek; Fan, Chien Te; Franck, Caroline; Gefenas, Eugenjius; Geissbuhler, Antoine; Klingmann, Ingrid; Kouyaté, Bocar; Kraehenbhul, Jean-Pierre; Kruger, Mariana; Moodley, Keymanthri; Ntoumi, Francine; Nyirenda, Thomas; Pym, Alexander; Silverman, Henry; Tenorio, Sara

    2014-06-01

    This paper reports the results of a workshop held in January 2013 to begin the process of establishing standards for e-learning programmes in the ethics of research involving human participants that could serve as the basis of their evaluation by individuals and groups who want to use, recommend or accredit such programmes. The standards that were drafted at the workshop cover the following topics: designer/provider qualifications, learning goals, learning objectives, content, methods, assessment of participants and assessment of the course. The authors invite comments on the draft standards and eventual endorsement of a final version by all stakeholders. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  13. Fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soumendra Sahoo

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. Methods A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken.A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Results Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. Conclusion This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students.

  14. The 8 Learning Events Model: a Pedagogic Conceptual Tool Supporting Diversification of Learning Methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verpoorten, Dominique; Poumay, M; Leclercq, D

    2006-01-01

    Please, cite this publication as: Verpoorten, D., Poumay, M., & Leclercq, D. (2006). The 8 Learning Events Model: a Pedagogic Conceptual Tool Supporting Diversification of Learning Methods. Proceedings of International Workshop in Learning Networks for Lifelong Competence Development, TENCompetence

  15. Characterizing Reinforcement Learning Methods through Parameterized Learning Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-03

    extraneous. The agent could potentially adapt these representational aspects by applying methods from feature selection ( Kolter and Ng, 2009; Petrik et al...611–616. AAAI Press. Kolter , J. Z. and Ng, A. Y. (2009). Regularization and feature selection in least-squares temporal difference learning. In A. P

  16. Brain-Based Learning. Research Brief

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Karen

    2005-01-01

    What does brain-based research say about how adolescents learn? The 1990s was declared as the Decade of the Brain by President Bush and Congress. With the advancement of MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imagining) and PET (positron emission tomography) scans, it has become much easier to study live healthy brains. As a result, the concept of…

  17. Research into Practice: Grammar Learning and Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen-Freeman, Diane

    2015-01-01

    This selective review of the second language acquisition and applied linguistics research literature on grammar learning and teaching falls into three categories: where research has had little impact (the non-interface position), modest impact (form-focused instruction), and where it potentially can have a large impact (reconceiving grammar).…

  18. Non-Gaussian Methods for Causal Structure Learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Shohei

    2018-05-22

    Causal structure learning is one of the most exciting new topics in the fields of machine learning and statistics. In many empirical sciences including prevention science, the causal mechanisms underlying various phenomena need to be studied. Nevertheless, in many cases, classical methods for causal structure learning are not capable of estimating the causal structure of variables. This is because it explicitly or implicitly assumes Gaussianity of data and typically utilizes only the covariance structure. In many applications, however, non-Gaussian data are often obtained, which means that more information may be contained in the data distribution than the covariance matrix is capable of containing. Thus, many new methods have recently been proposed for using the non-Gaussian structure of data and inferring the causal structure of variables. This paper introduces prevention scientists to such causal structure learning methods, particularly those based on the linear, non-Gaussian, acyclic model known as LiNGAM. These non-Gaussian data analysis tools can fully estimate the underlying causal structures of variables under assumptions even in the presence of unobserved common causes. This feature is in contrast to other approaches. A simulated example is also provided.

  19. Methods of Scientific Research: Teaching Scientific Creativity at Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robbins, Dennis; Ford, K. E. Saavik

    2016-01-01

    We present a scaling-up plan for AstroComNYC's Methods of Scientific Research (MSR), a course designed to improve undergraduate students' understanding of science practices. The course format and goals, notably the open-ended, hands-on, investigative nature of the curriculum are reviewed. We discuss how the course's interactive pedagogical techniques empower students to learn creativity within the context of experimental design and control of variables thinking. To date the course has been offered to a limited numbers of students in specific programs. The goals of broadly implementing MSR is to reach more students and early in their education—with the specific purpose of supporting and improving retention of students pursuing STEM careers. However, we also discuss challenges in preserving the effectiveness of the teaching and learning experience at scale.

  20. A Critical Review of Research on Strategies in Learning Chinese as Both a Second and Foreign Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Xiaoli; Cohen, Andrew D.

    2012-01-01

    This article critically reviews strategy research on learning Chinese both as a second and foreign language. Through a careful examination of major data bases in both the Chinese and English languages, the article summarizes research in the field and the principal research methods used in the studies reviewed. Moreover, key limitations in research…

  1. Interactive and Hands-on Methods for Professional Development of Undergraduate Researchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pressley, S. N.; LeBeau, J. E.

    2016-12-01

    Professional development workshops for undergraduate research programs can range from communicating science (i.e. oral, technical writing, poster presentations), applying for fellowships and scholarships, applying to graduate school, and learning about careers, among others. Novel methods of presenting the information on the above topics can result in positive outcomes beyond the obvious of transferring knowledge. Examples of innovative methods to present professional development information include 1) An interactive session on how to write an abstract where students are given an opportunity to draft an abstract from a short technical article, followed by discussion amongst a group of peers, and comparison with the "published" abstract. 2) Using the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) method to evaluate and critique a research poster. 3) Inviting "experts" such as a Fulbright scholar graduate student to present on applying for fellowships and scholarships. These innovative methods of delivery provide more hands-on activities that engage the students, and in some cases (abstract writing) provide practice for the student. The methods also require that students develop team work skills, communicate amongst their peers, and develop networks with their cohort. All of these are essential non-technical skills needed for success in any career. Feedback from students on these sessions are positive and most importantly, the students walk out of the session with a smile on their face saying how much fun it was. Evaluating the impact of these sessions is more challenging and under investigation currently.

  2. Eye-tracking research in computer-mediated language learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Michel, Marije; Smith, Bryan

    2017-01-01

    Though eye-tracking technology has been used in reading research for over 100 years, researchers have only recently begun to use it in studies of computer-assisted language learning (CALL). This chapter provides an overview of eye-tracking research to date, which is relevant to computer-mediated

  3. Teaching an Interdisciplinary Graduate-Level Methods Course in an Openly-Networked Connected Learning Environment: A Glass Half-Full

    Science.gov (United States)

    Secret, Mary; Bryant, Nita L.; Cummings, Cory R.

    2017-01-01

    Our paper describes the design and delivery of an online interdisciplinary social science research methods course (ISRM) for graduate students in sociology, education, social work, and public administration. Collaborative activities and learning took place in two types of computer-mediated learning environments: a closed Blackboard course…

  4. A Commentary on Parent-Child Cognitive Interaction Research: What Have we Learned From Two Decades of Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yvette Renee Harris

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The role of family influences on preschool and school age cognitive development has received considerable empirical attention from cognitive developmental psychology researchers in the last few decades. As a result of the interest, investigators have focused their attention on developing coding/observational systems to capture the interactions occurring between mothers and their young children. This paper reviews a select body of research on parent child cognitive learning interactions with the goal of determining how the researchers have operationalized the behaviors that occur within learning interactions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the suggestions on next steps for conducting parent child cognitive learning interaction research in the future.

  5. Research into experiential learning in nurse education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Barry

    2017-09-07

    This research is founded on an innovative pedagogical project as part of a higher education lecturer teaching qualification. This project involved redesigning the module 'advanced history taking and physical examination with clinical reasoning', a continuing professional development at a higher education institution. The author undertook an exploration of the literature, considering evidence on teaching styles and the way in which students learn and gain knowledge. The module was redesigned, impelemented and then evaluated by the student participants. Key themes in the evaluation centred on the experiential learning style and experiential teaching style. There are numerous internal and external factors that affect teaching, and student learning. Experiential learning has provided a successful teaching pedagogy when applied to clinical skill acquisition, and has positively benefited the module delivery and pass rate, suggesting it has embedded 'deep learning'. Student feedback was positive, and the redesigned module has had a positive impact on student engagement and the teacher-student interaction.

  6. Agroecology Education: Action-Oriented Learning and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieblein, Geir; Breland, Tor Arvid; Francis, Charles; Ostergaard, Edvin

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This article examines and evaluates the potential contributions from action learning and action research with stakeholders to higher education in agriculture and food systems. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is based on our experiences over the past two decades of running PhD courses and an MSc degree programme in Agroecology in…

  7. Recent Research in Science Teaching and Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Deborah

    2012-01-01

    This article features recent research in science teaching and learning. It presents three current articles of interest in life sciences education, as well as more general and noteworthy publications in education research. URLs are provided for the abstracts or full text of articles. For articles listed as "Abstract available," full text may be…

  8. Exploring Practice-Research Networks for Critical Professional Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Appleby, Yvon; Hillier, Yvonne

    2012-01-01

    This paper discusses the contribution that practice-research networks can make to support critical professional development in the Learning and Skills sector in England. By practice-research networks we mean groups or networks which maintain a connection between research and professional practice. These networks stem from the philosophy of…

  9. Learning the scientific method using GloFish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vick, Brianna M; Pollak, Adrianna; Welsh, Cynthia; Liang, Jennifer O

    2012-12-01

    Here we describe projects that used GloFish, brightly colored, fluorescent, transgenic zebrafish, in experiments that enabled students to carry out all steps in the scientific method. In the first project, students in an undergraduate genetics laboratory course successfully tested hypotheses about the relationships between GloFish phenotypes and genotypes using PCR, fluorescence microscopy, and test crosses. In the second and third projects, students doing independent research carried out hypothesis-driven experiments that also developed new GloFish projects for future genetics laboratory students. Brianna Vick, an undergraduate student, identified causes of the different shades of color found in orange GloFish. Adrianna Pollak, as part of a high school science fair project, characterized the fluorescence emission patterns of all of the commercially available colors of GloFish (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple). The genetics laboratory students carrying out the first project found that learning new techniques and applying their knowledge of genetics were valuable. However, assessments of their learning suggest that this project was not challenging to many of the students. Thus, the independent projects will be valuable as bases to widen the scope and range of difficulty of experiments available to future genetics laboratory students.

  10. Choosing Learning Methods Suitable for Teaching and Learning in Computer Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Estelle; Breed, Marnus; Hauman, Ilette; Homann, Armando

    2013-01-01

    Our aim is to determine which teaching methods students in Computer Science and Information Systems prefer. There are in total 5 different paradigms (behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, design-based and humanism) with 32 models between them. Each model is unique and states different learning methods. Recommendations are made on methods that…

  11. What recent research on diagrams suggests about learning with rather than learning from visual representations in science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tippett, Christine D.

    2016-03-01

    The move from learning science from representations to learning science with representations has many potential and undocumented complexities. This thematic analysis partially explores the trends of representational uses in science instruction, examining 80 research studies on diagram use in science. These studies, published during 2000-2014, were located through searches of journal databases and books. Open coding of the studies identified 13 themes, 6 of which were identified in at least 10% of the studies: eliciting mental models, classroom-based research, multimedia principles, teaching and learning strategies, representational competence, and student agency. A shift in emphasis on learning with rather than learning from representations was evident across the three 5-year intervals considered, mirroring a pedagogical shift from science instruction as transmission of information to constructivist approaches in which learners actively negotiate understanding and construct knowledge. The themes and topics in recent research highlight areas of active interest and reveal gaps that may prove fruitful for further research, including classroom-based studies, the role of prior knowledge, and the use of eye-tracking. The results of the research included in this thematic review of the 2000-2014 literature suggest that both interpreting and constructing representations can lead to better understanding of science concepts.

  12. Learning Algorithm of Boltzmann Machine Based on Spatial Monte Carlo Integration Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muneki Yasuda

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The machine learning techniques for Markov random fields are fundamental in various fields involving pattern recognition, image processing, sparse modeling, and earth science, and a Boltzmann machine is one of the most important models in Markov random fields. However, the inference and learning problems in the Boltzmann machine are NP-hard. The investigation of an effective learning algorithm for the Boltzmann machine is one of the most important challenges in the field of statistical machine learning. In this paper, we study Boltzmann machine learning based on the (first-order spatial Monte Carlo integration method, referred to as the 1-SMCI learning method, which was proposed in the author’s previous paper. In the first part of this paper, we compare the method with the maximum pseudo-likelihood estimation (MPLE method using a theoretical and a numerical approaches, and show the 1-SMCI learning method is more effective than the MPLE. In the latter part, we compare the 1-SMCI learning method with other effective methods, ratio matching and minimum probability flow, using a numerical experiment, and show the 1-SMCI learning method outperforms them.

  13. Studying depression using imaging and machine learning methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Meenal J; Khalaf, Alexander; Aizenstein, Howard J

    2016-01-01

    Depression is a complex clinical entity that can pose challenges for clinicians regarding both accurate diagnosis and effective timely treatment. These challenges have prompted the development of multiple machine learning methods to help improve the management of this disease. These methods utilize anatomical and physiological data acquired from neuroimaging to create models that can identify depressed patients vs. non-depressed patients and predict treatment outcomes. This article (1) presents a background on depression, imaging, and machine learning methodologies; (2) reviews methodologies of past studies that have used imaging and machine learning to study depression; and (3) suggests directions for future depression-related studies.

  14. Characterizing Engineering Learners' Preferences for Active and Passive Learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magana, Alejandra J.; Vieira, Camilo; Boutin, Mireille

    2018-01-01

    This paper studies electrical engineering learners' preferences for learning methods with various degrees of activity. Less active learning methods such as homework and peer reviews are investigated, as well as a newly introduced very active (constructive) learning method called "slectures," and some others. The results suggest that…

  15. Practising What We Teach: Vocational Teachers Learn to Research through Applying Action Learning Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasky, Barbara; Tempone, Irene

    2004-01-01

    Action learning techniques are well suited to the teaching of organisation behaviour students because of their flexibility, inclusiveness, openness, and respect for individuals. They are no less useful as a tool for change for vocational teachers, learning, of necessity, to become researchers. Whereas traditional universities have always had a…

  16. Dataset-driven research for improving recommender systems for learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verbert, Katrien; Drachsler, Hendrik; Manouselis, Nikos; Wolpers, Martin; Vuorikari, Riina; Duval, Erik

    2011-01-01

    Verbert, K., Drachsler, H., Manouselis, N., Wolpers, M., Vuorikari, R., & Duval, E. (2011). Dataset-driven research for improving recommender systems for learning. In Ph. Long, & G. Siemens (Eds.), Proceedings of 1st International Conference Learning Analytics & Knowledge (pp. 44-53). February,

  17. Learning through Participatory Action Research for Community Ecotourism Planning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guevara, Jose Roberto Q.

    1996-01-01

    Ecologically sound tourism planning and policy require an empowering community participation. The participatory action research model helps a community gain understanding of its social reality, learn how to learn, initiate dialog, and discover new possibilities for addressing its situation. (SK)

  18. Economics of Distance and Online Learning Theory, Practice and Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    reviewed by TOJDE

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Economics of Distance and Online LearningTheory, Practice and ResearchBy William Bramble & Santosh PandaPrice: $125.00ISBN: 978-0-415-96388-6, Binding: Hardback, Publishedby: Routledge, New York, Publication Date: March 2008, Pages: 312TOJDEABOUT THE BOOKThis book provides a comprehensive overview of theorganizational models of distance and online learning froman international perspective and from the point of view ofeconomic planning, costing and management decisionmaking.The book points to directions for the further research anddevelopment in this area, and will promote furtherunderstanding and critical reflection on the part ofadministrators, practitioners and researchers of distanceeducation.The experiences and perspectives in distance education inthe US are balanced with those in other areas of the world.Table of ContentsPrefaceSECTION ONE: INTRODUCTIONChapter 1: Organizational and Cost Structures for Distanceand Online Learning, William J. Bramble and Santosh PandaSECTION TWO: PLANNING AND MANAGEMENTChapter 2: Changing Distance Education andChanging Organizational Issues, D. Randy Garrison and Heather KanukaChapter 3: Online Learning and the University, Chris Curran217Chapter 4: Virtual Schooling and Basic Education, Thomas ClarkChapter 5: Historical Perspectives on Distance Education in the United States, Paul J.Edelson and Von PittmanSECTION THREE: FUNDINGChapter 6: Funding of Distance and Online Learning in the United States, Mark J. Smithand William J. BrambleChapter 7: Funding Distance Education: A Regional Perspective, Santosh Panda andAshok GabaSECTION FOUR: COST STRUCTURES AND MODELSChapter 8: Costs and Quality of Online Learning, Alistair InglisChapter 9: Costing Virtual University Education, Insung JungChapter 10: Cost-Benefit of Student Retention Policies and Practices, Ormond SimpsonSECTION FIVE: DISTANCE TRAININGChapter 11: Cost Benefit of Online Learning, Zane Berge and Charlotte DonaldsonChapter 12: Transforming Workplace

  19. Can learning style predict student satisfaction with different instruction methods and academic achievement in medical education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gurpinar, Erol; Alimoglu, Mustafa Kemal; Mamakli, Sumer; Aktekin, Mehmet

    2010-12-01

    The curriculum of our medical school has a hybrid structure including both traditional training (lectures) and problem-based learning (PBL) applications. The purpose of this study was to determine the learning styles of our medical students and investigate the relation of learning styles with each of satisfaction with different instruction methods and academic achievement in them. This study was carried out with the participation of 170 first-year medical students (the participation rate was 91.4%). The researchers prepared sociodemographic and satisfaction questionnaires to determine the characteristics of the participants and their satisfaction levels with traditional training and PBL. The Kolb learning styles inventory was used to explore the learning styles of the study group. The participants completed all forms at the end of the first year of medical education. Indicators of academic achievement were scores of five theoretical block exams and five PBL exams performed throughout the academic year of 2008-2009. The majority of the participants took part in the "diverging" (n = 84, 47.7%) and "assimilating" (n = 73, 41.5%) groups. Numbers of students in the "converging" and "accommodating" groups were 11 (6.3%) and 8 (4.5%), respectively. In all learning style groups, PBL satisfaction scores were significantly higher than those of traditional training. Exam scores for "PBL and traditional training" did not differ among the four learning styles. In logistic regression analysis, learning style (assimilating) predicted student satisfaction with traditional training and success in theoretical block exams. Nothing predicted PBL satisfaction and success. This is the first study conducted among medical students evaluating the relation of learning style with student satisfaction and academic achievement. More research with larger groups is needed to generalize our results. Some learning styles may relate to satisfaction with and achievement in some instruction methods.

  20. Research training in integrative medicine: how can we make teaching and learning in research methods more sustainable and engaging?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witt, Claudia M; Withers, Shelly Rafferty

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this project was to identify strategies for increasing learner engagement and knowledge retention in clinical research training of complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) practitioners, and to offer a conceptual framework to address clinical research training for CIM practitioners. In a featured large-group discussion (15min presentation and 30min discussion), two questions (strategies that are recommended to overcome these barriers; relevant aspects for a framework for building sustainable knowledge) were put to the audience. The sample consisted of 43 participants at the International Congress of Educators in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, in Washington, DC, in October 2012. The featured discussion was moderated and detailed notes were taken. Notes were synthesized and discussed by both authors until consensus was reached. Based on the results from the featured discussion session and a focused literature search, a framework for building sustainable knowledge and skills in clinical research for CIM practitioners was developed. Participants' responses to the questions of engagement and sustainability included curricular structures, pedagogical strategies for instruction, the use of digital tools to extend the learning experience, the necessity to ground instruction firmly in the medical literature of the field, and the relevance of mentoring. Key considerations for building sustainable knowledge in clinical research for CIM practitioners are as follows: (1) prioritizing clinical research training, (2) issues of curriculum and pedagogy, (3) technology/digital tools, (4) administrative challenges, (5) supporting the formation of communities of practice, and (6) cultural perspectives of CIM practitioners. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The Effect of Situated Learning on Students Vocational English Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özüdogru, Melike; Özüdogru, Fatma

    2017-01-01

    The current study aimed to find out the effect of situated learning on students' Vocational English learning. This research employed a mixed method research design. In the quantitative part of the study, pre-tests and post-tests were implemented to investigate the differences in students' vocational English learning between the experimental and…

  2. Exploring an Experiential Learning Project through Kolb's Learning Theory Using a Qualitative Research Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, Cecilia Ka Yuk

    2012-01-01

    Experiential learning pedagogy is taking a lead in the development of graduate attributes and educational aims as these are of prime importance for society. This paper shows a community service experiential project conducted in China. The project enabled students to serve the affected community in a post-earthquake area by applying their knowledge…

  3. Approximation methods for efficient learning of Bayesian networks

    CERN Document Server

    Riggelsen, C

    2008-01-01

    This publication offers and investigates efficient Monte Carlo simulation methods in order to realize a Bayesian approach to approximate learning of Bayesian networks from both complete and incomplete data. For large amounts of incomplete data when Monte Carlo methods are inefficient, approximations are implemented, such that learning remains feasible, albeit non-Bayesian. The topics discussed are: basic concepts about probabilities, graph theory and conditional independence; Bayesian network learning from data; Monte Carlo simulation techniques; and, the concept of incomplete data. In order to provide a coherent treatment of matters, thereby helping the reader to gain a thorough understanding of the whole concept of learning Bayesian networks from (in)complete data, this publication combines in a clarifying way all the issues presented in the papers with previously unpublished work.

  4. Unsupervised process monitoring and fault diagnosis with machine learning methods

    CERN Document Server

    Aldrich, Chris

    2013-01-01

    This unique text/reference describes in detail the latest advances in unsupervised process monitoring and fault diagnosis with machine learning methods. Abundant case studies throughout the text demonstrate the efficacy of each method in real-world settings. The broad coverage examines such cutting-edge topics as the use of information theory to enhance unsupervised learning in tree-based methods, the extension of kernel methods to multiple kernel learning for feature extraction from data, and the incremental training of multilayer perceptrons to construct deep architectures for enhanced data

  5. Working Alongside Older People with a Learning Disability: Informing and Shaping Research Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herron, Daniel; Priest, Helena M.; Read, Sue

    2015-01-01

    Background: There has been an increase in inclusive research in the learning disability field; however, this has not been reflected within learning disability and dementia research, where little is known from the perspective of people with learning disabilities. This paper will define inclusive research, explore reasons for the dearth of inclusive…

  6. Research on cultivating medical students' self-learning ability using teaching system integrated with learning analysis technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Hong; Wu, Cheng; He, Qian; Wang, Shi-Yong; Ma, Xiu-Qiang; Wang, Ri; Li, Bing; He, Jia

    2015-01-01

    Along with the advancement of information technology and the era of big data education, using learning process data to provide strategic decision-making in cultivating and improving medical students' self-learning ability has become a trend in educational research. Educator Abuwen Toffler said once, the illiterates in the future may not be the people not able to read and write, but not capable to know how to learn. Serving as educational institutions cultivating medical students' learning ability, colleges and universities should not only instruct specific professional knowledge and skills, but also develop medical students' self-learning ability. In this research, we built a teaching system which can help to restore medical students' self-learning processes and analyze their learning outcomes and behaviors. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system in supporting medical students' self-learning, an experiment was conducted in 116 medical students from two grades. The results indicated that problems in self-learning process through this system was consistent with problems raised from traditional classroom teaching. Moreover, the experimental group (using this system) acted better than control group (using traditional classroom teaching) to some extent. Thus, this system can not only help medical students to develop their self-learning ability, but also enhances the ability of teachers to target medical students' questions quickly, improving the efficiency of answering questions in class.

  7. Resilient Learning: Towards Integration of Strategic Research Programmes, Higher Education Functions and Regional-National Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rauno Ilmari Pirinen

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the concept of Learning by Research and Development (R&D is furthered to the world of more resilient learning in the setting of security related R&D projects for development of co-creative products, services and action competence. The background of this study includes an interdisciplinary combination of service science, security, computer science, pedagogy, engineering, and management science. The interdisciplinary combination involves researchers, learners, teachers, and other participants connecting and integrating the academic disciplines, professions, and technologies, along with their methods and perspectives for co-creation of a common goal. This goal emphasizes results as high-value impacts, as well as the value of products, services, and innovations as “deliverables” of the integrative learning process. Until recently, the Learning by R&D model is clear and transparent; as such, it can be adopted by learning and R&D integration of other sciences and higher education institutions. The structure of the model is also easy to adapt and renew in case of a change, which means that it can develop from the inside on the one hand, and produce interactions, adaptions, resilience and innovations on the other.

  8. Engineers' Perceptions of Diversity and the Learning Environment at Work: A Mixed Methods Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firestone, Brenda L.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this dissertation research study was to investigate engineers' perceptions of diversity and the workplace learning environment surrounding diversity education efforts in engineering occupations. The study made use of a mixed methods methodology and was theoretically framed using a critical feminist adult education lens and…

  9. A Preliminary Survey of the Preferred Learning Methods for Interpretation Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinz, Michael

    2013-01-01

    There are many different methods that individuals use to learn languages like reading books or writing essays. Not all methods are equally successful for second language learners but nor do all successful learners of a second language show identical preferences for learning methods. Additionally, at the highest level of language learning various…

  10. An Analytical Autoethnographical Account of Using Inquiry-Based Learning in a Graduate Research Methods Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolf, Jules

    2017-01-01

    Increased emphasis is being placed on integrating research and teaching in higher education because of the numerous benefits accrued by students. In accordance, research methods courses are ubiquitously contained in curricula, ostensibly to promote research training and the research-teaching nexus. Students may not appreciate the inclusion,…

  11. Linking Theory to Practice in Learning Technology Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunn, Cathy; Steel, Caroline

    2012-01-01

    We present a case to reposition theory so that it plays a pivotal role in learning technology research and helps to build an ecology of learning. To support the case, we present a critique of current practice based on a review of articles published in two leading international journals from 2005 to 2010. Our study reveals that theory features only…

  12. Involving the public in mental health and learning disability research: Can we, should we, do we?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, C; Holt, J

    2017-10-01

    WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: UK health policy is clear that researchers should involve the public throughout the research process. The public, including patients, carers and/or local citizens can bring a different and valuable perspective to the research process and improve the quality of research undertaken. Conducting health research is demanding with tight deadlines and scarce resources. This can make involving the public in research very challenging. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This is the first time the attitudes of researchers working in mental health and learning disability services towards PPI have been investigated. The principles of service user involvement in mental health and learning disability services may support PPI in research as a tool of collaboration and empowerment. This article extends our understanding of the cultural and attitudinal barriers to implementing PPI guidelines in mental health and learning disability services. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Researchers in mental health and learning disability services need to champion, share and publish effective involvement work. Structural barriers to PPI work should be addressed locally and successful strategies shared nationally and internationally. Where PPI guidelines are being developed, attention needs to be paid to cultural factors in the research community to win "hearts and minds" and support the effective integration of PPI across the whole research process. Introduction Patient and public involvement (PPI) is integral to UK health research guidance; however, implementation is inconsistent. There is little research into the attitudes of NHS health researchers towards PPI. Aim This study explored the attitude of researchers working in mental health and learning disability services in the UK towards PPI in health research. Method Using a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of eight researchers. A

  13. Action Research to Improve the Learning Space for Diagnostic Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen Ariel

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The module described and evaluated here was created in response to perceived learning difficulties in diagnostic test design and interpretation for students in third-year Clinical Microbiology. Previously, the activities in lectures and laboratory classes in the module fell into the lower cognitive operations of “knowledge” and “understanding.” The new approach was to exchange part of the traditional activities with elements of interactive learning, where students had the opportunity to engage in deep learning using a variety of learning styles. The effectiveness of the new curriculum was assessed by means of on-course student assessment throughout the module, a final exam, an anonymous questionnaire on student evaluation of the different activities and a focus group of volunteers. Although the new curriculum enabled a major part of the student cohort to achieve higher pass grades (p < 0.001, it did not meet the requirements of the weaker students, and the proportion of the students failing the module remained at 34%. The action research applied here provided a number of valuable suggestions from students on how to improve future curricula from their perspective. Most importantly, an interactive online program that facilitated flexibility in the learning space for the different reagents and their interaction in diagnostic tests was proposed. The methods applied to improve and assess a curriculum refresh by involving students as partners in the process, as well as the outcomes, are discussed.

  14. Action Research to Improve the Learning Space for Diagnostic Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariel, Ellen; Owens, Leigh

    2015-12-01

    The module described and evaluated here was created in response to perceived learning difficulties in diagnostic test design and interpretation for students in third-year Clinical Microbiology. Previously, the activities in lectures and laboratory classes in the module fell into the lower cognitive operations of "knowledge" and "understanding." The new approach was to exchange part of the traditional activities with elements of interactive learning, where students had the opportunity to engage in deep learning using a variety of learning styles. The effectiveness of the new curriculum was assessed by means of on-course student assessment throughout the module, a final exam, an anonymous questionnaire on student evaluation of the different activities and a focus group of volunteers. Although the new curriculum enabled a major part of the student cohort to achieve higher pass grades (p < 0.001), it did not meet the requirements of the weaker students, and the proportion of the students failing the module remained at 34%. The action research applied here provided a number of valuable suggestions from students on how to improve future curricula from their perspective. Most importantly, an interactive online program that facilitated flexibility in the learning space for the different reagents and their interaction in diagnostic tests was proposed. The methods applied to improve and assess a curriculum refresh by involving students as partners in the process, as well as the outcomes, are discussed. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education.

  15. Studying depression using imaging and machine learning methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meenal J. Patel

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Depression is a complex clinical entity that can pose challenges for clinicians regarding both accurate diagnosis and effective timely treatment. These challenges have prompted the development of multiple machine learning methods to help improve the management of this disease. These methods utilize anatomical and physiological data acquired from neuroimaging to create models that can identify depressed patients vs. non-depressed patients and predict treatment outcomes. This article (1 presents a background on depression, imaging, and machine learning methodologies; (2 reviews methodologies of past studies that have used imaging and machine learning to study depression; and (3 suggests directions for future depression-related studies.

  16. Best practices for learning physiology: combining classroom and online methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Lisa C; Krichbaum, Kathleen E

    2017-09-01

    Physiology is a requisite course for many professional allied health programs and is a foundational science for learning pathophysiology, health assessment, and pharmacology. Given the demand for online learning in the health sciences, it is important to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-class teaching methods, especially as they are combined to form hybrid courses. The purpose of this study was to compare two hybrid physiology sections in which one section was offered mostly in-class (85% in-class), and the other section was offered mostly online (85% online). The two sections in 2 yr ( year 1 and year 2 ) were compared in terms of knowledge of physiology measured in exam scores and pretest-posttest improvement, and in measures of student satisfaction with teaching. In year 1 , there were some differences on individual exam scores between the two sections, but no significant differences in mean exam scores or in pretest-posttest improvements. However, in terms of student satisfaction, the mostly in-class students in year 1 rated the instructor significantly higher than did the mostly online students. Comparisons between in-class and online students in the year 2 cohort yielded data that showed that mean exam scores were not statistically different, but pre-post changes were significantly greater in the mostly online section; student satisfaction among mostly online students also improved significantly. Education researchers must investigate effective combinations of in-class and online methods for student learning outcomes, while maintaining the flexibility and convenience that online methods provide. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

  17. Machine learning in autistic spectrum disorder behavioral research: A review and ways forward.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thabtah, Fadi

    2018-02-13

    Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a mental disorder that retards acquisition of linguistic, communication, cognitive, and social skills and abilities. Despite being diagnosed with ASD, some individuals exhibit outstanding scholastic, non-academic, and artistic capabilities, in such cases posing a challenging task for scientists to provide answers. In the last few years, ASD has been investigated by social and computational intelligence scientists utilizing advanced technologies such as machine learning to improve diagnostic timing, precision, and quality. Machine learning is a multidisciplinary research topic that employs intelligent techniques to discover useful concealed patterns, which are utilized in prediction to improve decision making. Machine learning techniques such as support vector machines, decision trees, logistic regressions, and others, have been applied to datasets related to autism in order to construct predictive models. These models claim to enhance the ability of clinicians to provide robust diagnoses and prognoses of ASD. However, studies concerning the use of machine learning in ASD diagnosis and treatment suffer from conceptual, implementation, and data issues such as the way diagnostic codes are used, the type of feature selection employed, the evaluation measures chosen, and class imbalances in data among others. A more serious claim in recent studies is the development of a new method for ASD diagnoses based on machine learning. This article critically analyses these recent investigative studies on autism, not only articulating the aforementioned issues in these studies but also recommending paths forward that enhance machine learning use in ASD with respect to conceptualization, implementation, and data. Future studies concerning machine learning in autism research are greatly benefitted by such proposals.

  18. "Mastery Learning" Como Metodo Psicoeducativo para Ninos con Problemas Especificos de Aprendizaje. ("Mastery Learning" as a Psychoeducational Method for Children with Specific Learning Problems.)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coya, Liliam de Barbosa; Perez-Coffie, Jorge

    1982-01-01

    "Mastery Learning" was compared with the "conventional" method of teaching reading skills to Puerto Rican children with specific learning disabilities. The "Mastery Learning" group showed significant gains in the cognitive and affective domains. Results suggested Mastery Learning is a more effective method of teaching…

  19. Research Methods Tutor: evaluation of a dialogue-based tutoring system in the classroom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnott, Elizabeth; Hastings, Peter; Allbritton, David

    2008-08-01

    Research Methods Tutor (RMT) is a dialogue-based intelligent tutoring system for use in conjunction with undergraduate psychology research methods courses. RMT includes five topics that correspond to the curriculum of introductory research methods courses: ethics, variables, reliability, validity, and experimental design. We evaluated the effectiveness of the RMT system in the classroom using a nonequivalent control group design. Students in three classes (n = 83) used RMT, and students in two classes (n = 53) did not use RMT. Results indicated that the use of RMT yieldedstrong learning gains of 0.75 standard deviations above classroom instruction alone. Further, the dialogue-based tutoring condition of the system resulted in higher gains than did the textbook-style condition (CAI version) of the system. Future directions for RMT include the addition of new topics and tutoring elements.

  20. Experts in Teams – An experiential learning method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Steffen Kjær

    2017-01-01

    T becomes a learning method rather than a teaching method. Besides discussing the pedagogical characteristics of EiT, the study also gives a general introduction to EiT as it was taught at SDU fall 2016 as well as a brief review of the basic theory behind experiential learning. As such this study serves...... courses. Most of the practical courses are group work along the lines of project based learning. EiT is in a way both. It is a practical course in as much as our students get hands-on experience with interdisciplinary team work and innovation processes. EiT is a theoretical course in as much as our...... both as an introduction to e.g. new teachers of EiT but also as a starting point for a clarification of the features that makes EiT an experiential learning endeavor....

  1. ADDRESSING RESEARCH DESIGN PROBLEM IN MIXED METHODS RESEARCH

    OpenAIRE

    Hamed ALAVI; Patrycja HĄBEK

    2016-01-01

    Alongside other disciplines in social sciences, management researchers use mixed methods research more and more in conduct of their scientific investigations. Mixed methods approach can also be used in the field of production engineering. In comparison with traditional quantitative and qualitative research methods, reasons behind increasing popularity of mixed research method in management science can be traced in different factors. First of all, any particular discipline in management can be...

  2. Active Learning Through Discussion in E-Learning

    OpenAIRE

    Daru Wahyuningsih

    2016-01-01

    Active learning is generally made by a lecturer in learning face to face. In the face to face learning, lecturer can implement a variety of teaching methods to make students actively involved in learning. This is different from learning that is actuating in e-learning. The main characteristic of e-learning is learning that can take place anytime and anywhere. Special strategies are needed so that lecturer can make students play an active role in the course of e-learning. Research in order to ...

  3. Developing a Blended Learning-Based Method for Problem-Solving in Capability Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dwiyogo, Wasis D.

    2018-01-01

    The main objectives of the study were to develop and investigate the implementation of blended learning based method for problem-solving. Three experts were involved in the study and all three had stated that the model was ready to be applied in the classroom. The implementation of the blended learning-based design for problem-solving was…

  4. Active Learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zayapragassarazan, Z.; Kumar, Santosh

    2012-01-01

    Present generation students are primarily active learners with varied learning experiences and lecture courses may not suit all their learning needs. Effective learning involves providing students with a sense of progress and control over their own learning. This requires creating a situation where learners have a chance to try out or test their…

  5. A Qualitative Research on Active Learning Practices in Pre-School Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pekdogan, Serpil; Kanak, Mehmet

    2016-01-01

    In educational environments prepared based on the active learning method, children learn with interest and pleasure, doing and experiencing, and directly through their own experiences. Considering the contributions of the active learning method and the educational environments designed based on it to children's development, it can be said that…

  6. MENGEMBANGKAN KERJASAMA (SOFT SKILL MELALUI PENERAPAN METODA COOPERATIF LEARNING DAN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING DALAM MATA KULIAH PSIKOLOGI KEWIRAUSAHAAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    lala septiyani sembiring

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This research aimed to examine the effect of the value of student co-operation in enterpreneur courses through the implementation of co-operative learning and experiential teaching method. Research was conducted on 57 psychology students who take enterpreneur courses treated in method cooperative teaching and experiential learning. Data collected through the scale were analyzed using the t test to see differences in the ability of co-operation between the students before teaching method experiential learning and cooperative learning with teaching method after doing experiential learning and cooperative learning. T test results prove that there are significant differences between the data pre and post data. This study means that there is a significant difference in the value of co-operation caused by the treatment by student cooperative learning and experiential learning method.

  7. Creating the learning situation to promote student deep learning: Data analysis and application case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Yuanyuan; Wu, Shaoyan

    2017-05-01

    How to lead students to deeper learning and cultivate engineering innovative talents need to be studied for higher engineering education. In this study, through the survey data analysis and theoretical research, we discuss the correlation of teaching methods, learning motivation, and learning methods. In this research, we find that students have different motivation orientation according to the perception of teaching methods in the process of engineering education, and this affects their choice of learning methods. As a result, creating situations is critical to lead students to deeper learning. Finally, we analyze the process of learning situational creation in the teaching process of «bidding and contract management workshops». In this creation process, teachers use the student-centered teaching to lead students to deeper study. Through the study of influence factors of deep learning process, and building the teaching situation for the purpose of promoting deep learning, this thesis provide a meaningful reference for enhancing students' learning quality, teachers' teaching quality and the quality of innovation talent.

  8. Exploring Constructivist Social Learning Practices in Aiding Russian-Speaking Teachers to Learn Estonian: An Action Research Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiilo, Tatjana; Kutsar, Dagmar

    2012-01-01

    Based on appreciative inquiry and threshold concepts from an intercultural learning perspective, the article makes insights into the constructivist social learning practice of Estonian language learning amongst Russian-speaking teachers in Estonia. The application of educational action research methodology, more specifically that of Bridget…

  9. A glossary for big data in population and public health: discussion and commentary on terminology and research methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuller, Daniel; Buote, Richard; Stanley, Kevin

    2017-11-01

    The volume and velocity of data are growing rapidly and big data analytics are being applied to these data in many fields. Population and public health researchers may be unfamiliar with the terminology and statistical methods used in big data. This creates a barrier to the application of big data analytics. The purpose of this glossary is to define terms used in big data and big data analytics and to contextualise these terms. We define the five Vs of big data and provide definitions and distinctions for data mining, machine learning and deep learning, among other terms. We provide key distinctions between big data and statistical analysis methods applied to big data. We contextualise the glossary by providing examples where big data analysis methods have been applied to population and public health research problems and provide brief guidance on how to learn big data analysis methods. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  10. Bedside Teaching: Is it Effective Methods in Clinical Nursing Students Learning?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatikhu Yatuni Asmara

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Clinical learning is the centre of medical students education. Students not only learn about practical skills but also communication with patient and other health care givers which both competencies are useful for students when they come into working world (Spencer, 2003. There are variations of methods applied in clinical learning process; one of them is bedside teaching. The aim of this study was to observe the bedside teaching process which is held in group of students, teacher, and patient. Another aim was to know responses of students, teacher, and patients to the bedside teaching process. Method: The method which was applied in this study is observation in which bedside teaching process was observed related to the roles and function of each component of bedside teaching: students, teacher, and patient in each phase: preparation, process, and evaluation. Then it was continued by interview to know the responses of students, teacher, and patient related to bedside teaching process. Result: The result showed that both students and teacher felt that bedside teaching is an effective method since it helped students to achieve their competences in clinical setting and develop their communication skill. Furthermore teacher stated that bedside teaching facilitated her to be a good role model for students. As well as students and teacher, patient got advantage from the bedside teaching process that she got information related to her case; however the time to discuss was limited. During the observation, each component of bedside teaching did their roles and function, such as: during the preparation teacher asked inform consent from patient, and patient gave inform consent as well while students prepared the material. Discussions: Suggestion for next research is conducting a deeper study about perception of students, teacher, and patient about bedside teaching process and the strategies to develop it to be better method. Keywords: bedside

  11. Developments in cooperative learning: review of research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robyn M. Gillies

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Cooperative learning, where students work in small groups to accomplish shared goals, is widely recognized as a teaching strategy that promotes learning and socialization among students from kindergarten through college and across different subject domains. It has been used successfully to promote reading and writing achievements, understanding and conceptual development in science classes, problem-solving in mathematics, and higher-order thinking and learning to name just a few. It has been shown to enhance students' willingness to work cooperatively and productively with others with diverse learning and adjustment needs and to enhance intergroup relations with those from culturally and ethnically different backgrounds. It has also been used as a teaching strategy to assist students to manage conflict and to help students identified as bullies learn appropriate interpersonal skills. In fact, it has been argued that cooperative learning experiences are crucial to preventing and alleviating many of the social problems related to children, adolescents, and young adults. There is no doubt that the benefits attributed to cooperative learning are widespread and numerous and it is the apparent success of this approach to learning that has led to it being acclaimed as one of the greatest educational innovations of recent times. The purpose of this paper is not only to review developments in research on cooperative learning but also to examine the factors that mediate and moderate its success. In particular, the review focuses on the types of student and teacher interactions generated and the key role talk plays in developing student thinking and learning, albeit through the expression of contrasting opinions or constructed shared meaning. The intention is to provide additional insights on how teachers can effectively utilize this pedagogical approach to teaching and learning in their classrooms.

  12. LEARNING STYLE SEBAGAI UPAYA PENINGKATAN PRESTASI BELAJAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zalik Nuryana

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Learning is the basic human need to know something, whether packed formally or not. There is not one method that is appropriate and certainly appropriate with all students. Students have their own learning styles between one another can’t be equated. Real memorable learning comes from the will of the heart, not coercion. The uniqueness of each individual is what makes the variety of learning styles should be understood so that each student can overcome difficulties learning. In the implementation of learning many teachers doesn’t understand the learning style, so as to force students to always pay attention to the speech and explanation of teachers. The learning process will be effective if the method of learning  used can accommodate students. Research on the most appropriate teaching methods turns out to be a failure, because each teaching method depends on the way or style of the student in learning. This research was conducted in the school as a place of observation (field research by using a quantitative approach. Data were collected by questionnaires, observations, interviews, and document studies which were then processed and analytically analyzed descriptively. The results of research showed that a class can not be equally aligned using and applying a single learning method only. Because in the class there are several learning styles of students. The student's learning style visually dominates the class, followed by the auditorial style, and the kinesthetic style. This research also provides advice to educators / teachers to understand the diversity of student learning styles. so that with the basic teachers are required to be more creative and innovative in applying the method of learning so that all learning styles of students can be accommodated, so that with this understanding of learning achievement can be improved.

  13. Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, David; Aldrich, Clark; Prensky, Marc

    2007-01-01

    Games and Simulations in Online Learning: Research and Development Frameworks examines the potential of games and simulations in online learning, and how the future could look as developers learn to use the emerging capabilities of the Semantic Web. It presents a general understanding of how the Semantic Web will impact education and how games and…

  14. A Meta-Analytic Review of Studies of the Effectiveness of Small-Group Learning Methods on Statistics Achievement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalaian, Sema A.; Kasim, Rafa M.

    2014-01-01

    This meta-analytic study focused on the quantitative integration and synthesis of the accumulated pedagogical research in undergraduate statistics education literature. These accumulated research studies compared the academic achievement of students who had been instructed using one of the various forms of small-group learning methods to those who…

  15. Learning-Based Research: The Re-Integration of Learning Styles into STEM Research Through the Context of Solar Energy and Climate Literacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bosman, L.

    2014-12-01

    This presentation will provide an overview of a NASA NICE-T funded research project at the College of Menominee Nation, a small federally recognized Tribal College located in northern Wisconsin. One main objective of the research project is to provide an experiential learning opportunity for 4-6 STEM students to construct a user friendly solar energy system evaluation tool, incorporating the real-world performance of different solar modules at Argonne National Laboratory, NASA weather and solar irradiation data, and detailed cost analysis and investment payback period. A natural connection exists between Native Americans and renewable energy. The generally clean character of renewable energies provides a great synergy and complimentary attribute for Native Americans' respect and pride for the environment and the overarching concern for future generations (Council, Pierce et al. 2000). Furthermore, Native American cultures have a strong creative and artistic focus, often motivated by their respect and appreciation for nature. The purpose of this learning-based research is to apply a cross-disciplinary approach to integrate the humanities with STEM research within the context of solar energy and climate literacy. Using 7 different learning styles (visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary), students have the opportunity to showcase their research efforts through a variety of modes and artifacts including graphic novel development (Visual), spoken word poetry (Aural), conference presentation (Verbal), experiential display and demonstration (Physical), debate (Logical), social media and viral messaging (Social), and article submission (Solitary).

  16. Lessons Learned from Introducing Social Media Use in Undergraduate Economics Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien, Martin; Freund, Katarina

    2018-01-01

    The research process and associated literacy requirements are often unfamiliar and daunting obstacles for undergraduate students. The use of social media has the potential to assist research training and encourage active learning, social inclusion and student engagement. This paper documents the lessons learned from developing a blended learning…

  17. Research Into the Role of Students’ Affective Domain While Learning Geology in Field Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkins, J.

    2009-12-01

    Existing research programs in field-based geocognition include assessment of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Assessment of the affective domain often involves the use of instruments and techniques uncommon to the geosciences. Research regarding the affective domain also commonly results in the collection and production of qualitative data that is difficult for geoscientists to analyze due to their lack of familiarity with these data sets. However, important information about students’ affective responses to learning in field environments can be obtained by using these methods. My research program focuses on data produced by students’ affective responses to field-based learning environments, primarily among students at the introductory level. For this research I developed a Likert-scale Novelty Space Survey, which presents student ‘novelty space’ (Orion and Hofstien, 1993) as a polygon; the larger the polygons, the more novelty students are experiencing. The axises for these polygons correspond to novelty domains involving geographic, social, cognitive, and psychological factors. In addition to the Novelty Space Survey, data which I have collected/generated includes focus group interviews on the role of recreational experiences in geology field programs. I have also collected data concerning the motivating factors that cause students to take photographs on field trips. The results of these studies give insight to the emotional responses students have to learning in the field and are important considerations for practitioners of teaching in these environments. Collaborative investigations among research programs that cross university departments and include multiple institutions is critical at this point in development of geocognition as a field due to unfamiliarity with cognitive science methodology by practitioners teaching geosciences and the dynamic nature of field work by cognitive scientists. However, combining the efforts of cognitive

  18. What Can We Learn from PER: Physics Education Research?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Chandralekha

    2014-01-01

    Physics Education Research (PER) focuses on understanding how students learn physics at all levels and developing strategies to help students with diverse prior preparations learn physics more effectively. New physics instructors are encouraged to visit http://PhysPort.org, a website devoted to helping instructors find effective teaching resources…

  19. Research on English Teaching and Learning: Taiwan (2004-2009)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Suchiao; Tsai, Yachin

    2012-01-01

    This article analyzes research in second/foreign language teaching and learning conducted in Taiwan over the period 2004-2009. Representative articles published in local refereed journals and conference proceedings--not readily accessible outside Taiwan--are reviewed to reflect current trends in English teaching and learning. The main themes…

  20. Research Ethics in Emerging Forms of Online Learning: Issues Arising from a Hypothetical Study on a MOOC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esposito, Antonella

    2012-01-01

    This paper is concerned with how research ethics is evolving along with emerging online research methods and settings. In particular, it focuses on ethics issues implied in a hypothetical virtual ethnography study aiming to gain insights on participants' experience in an emergent context of networked learning, namely a MOOC--Massive Online Open…

  1. Three Dimensions of Learning: Experiential Activity for Engineering Innovation Education and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killen, Catherine P.

    2015-01-01

    This paper outlines a novel approach to engineering education research that provides three dimensions of learning through an experiential class activity. A simulated decision activity brought current research into the classroom, explored the effect of experiential activity on learning outcomes and contributed to the research on innovation decision…

  2. Researches and Analysis on Middle School Students’ English Learning Motivation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    陈虹; 韩小乐

    2008-01-01

    <正>This thesis discusses the relations among English learning motivations, learning strategies and study efficiency under China’s background through reviewing the Chinese and overseas English learning motivation research, analyzing its explanation, characteristics and the questionnaire results. Several suggestions on how to stimulate and foster the students’English learning motivation have been given through the analysis of existing problems in the English study of students. I expect these would be animating English teaching in school.

  3. Work-related teaching and learning methods to foster generic skills in Higher Education. An Italian experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Frison

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Within the framework of modernisation of higher education systems in Europe, universities are invited to go beyond a knowledge-based perspective focused on disciplinary approaches and to be more concentrated on encouraging generic skills to deal with today’s complex and unpredictable career paths. The literature about Work-Related Learning and Work-Integrated Learning offers evidence to research regarding contributions of work-related experiences to the development of generic skills. The first part of the article presents a literature review carried out following the matching among three main keywords: work-related learning, generic skills, and higher education. Resources focused on the integration/teaching of generic skills in formal curriculum or in co-curriculum work-related activities and they were collected in order to explore the link between work-related learning in higher education and the development of generic skills. The focus is to identify valuable considerations to improve teaching strategies and methods. The second part presents an Italian work-related experience developed within the course of “Organizational Intervention Research Methods,” which involved 22 master’s degree students. The work-related assignment will be described in addition to the content analysis process of the 22 collected texts and the findings about the development of generic skills.

  4. When Teachers Learn to Use Technology, Students Benefit. Lessons from Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kilion, Joellen

    2016-01-01

    Joellen Killion is senior advisor to Learning Forward. In each issue of JSD, Killion explores a recent research study to help practitioners understand the impact of particular professional learning practices on student outcomes. The study presented here builds on past research about the relationships between teacher practice and beliefs, teacher…

  5. Action Research in a Business Classroom--Another Lens to Examine Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Janice Witt; Clark, Gloria

    2010-01-01

    This research study looks at the implementation of an action research project within a blended learning human resource management class in employee and labor relations. The internal and external environment created conditions that converged in the Perfect Storm and resulted in an almost disastrous learning experience for faculty and students. What…

  6. Practical Strategies for Collaboration across Discipline-Based Education Research and the Learning Sciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peffer, Melanie; Renken, Maggie

    2016-01-01

    Rather than pursue questions related to learning in biology from separate camps, recent calls highlight the necessity of interdisciplinary research agendas. Interdisciplinary collaborations allow for a complicated and expanded approach to questions about learning within specific science domains, such as biology. Despite its benefits, interdisciplinary work inevitably involves challenges. Some such challenges originate from differences in theoretical and methodological approaches across lines of work. Thus, aims at developing successful interdisciplinary research programs raise important considerations regarding methodologies for studying biology learning, strategies for approaching collaborations, and training of early-career scientists. Our goal here is to describe two fields important to understanding learning in biology, discipline-based education research and the learning sciences. We discuss differences between each discipline’s approach to biology education research and the benefits and challenges associated with incorporating these perspectives in a single research program. We then propose strategies for building productive interdisciplinary collaboration. PMID:27881446

  7. An experimental research on blended learning in the development ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The experimental research conducted for this study is based on a blended learning (BL) approach to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in China. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a blended learning approach aimed at improving students' listening and speaking skills.

  8. Improvement of Learning Process and Learning Outcomes in Physics Learning by Using Collaborative Learning Model of Group Investigation at High School (Grade X, SMAN 14 Jakarta)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astra, I. Made; Wahyuni, Citra; Nasbey, Hadi

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research is to improve the quality of physics learning through application of collaborative learning of group investigation at grade X MIPA 2 SMAN 14 Jakarta. The method used in this research is classroom action research. This research consisted of three cycles was conducted from April to May in 2014. Each cycle consists of…

  9. Does Teaching Mnemonics for Vocabulary Learning Make a Difference? Putting the Keyword Method and the Word Part Technique to the Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Zheng

    2015-01-01

    The present research tested the effectiveness of the word part technique in comparison with the keyword method and self-strategy learning. One hundred and twenty-one Chinese year-one university students were randomly assigned to one of the three learning conditions: word part, keyword or self-strategy learning condition. Half of the target words…

  10. The Efficacy of Three Learning Methods Collaborative, Context-Based Learning and Traditional, on Learning, Attitude and Behaviour of Undergraduate Nursing Students: Integrating Theory and Practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasanpour-Dehkordi, Ali; Solati, Kamal

    2016-04-01

    Communication skills training, responsibility, respect, and self-awareness are important indexes of changing learning behaviours in modern approaches. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of three learning approaches, collaborative, context-based learning (CBL), and traditional, on learning, attitude, and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students. This study was a clinical trial with pretest and post-test of control group. The participants were senior nursing students. The samples were randomly assigned to three groups; CBL, collaborative, and traditional. To gather data a standard questionnaire of students' behaviour and attitude was administered prior to and after the intervention. Also, the rate of learning was investigated by a researcher-developed questionnaire prior to and after the intervention in the three groups. In CBL and collaborative training groups, the mean score of behaviour and attitude increased after the intervention. But no significant association was obtained between the mean scores of behaviour and attitude prior to and after the intervention in the traditional group. However, the mean learning score increased significantly in the CBL, collaborative, and traditional groups after the study in comparison to before the study. Both CBL and collaborative approaches were useful in terms of increased respect, self-awareness, self-evaluation, communication skills and responsibility as well as increased motivation and learning score in comparison to traditional method.

  11. Debriefing Research Games : Context, Substance and Method

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Hoogen, J.; Lo, J.C.; Meijer, S.A.

    2016-01-01

    Background. Debriefing is an intrinsic part of games for learning and proper
    debriefing can also be beneficial to research games. However, the literature
    on how to debrief research games is sparse and only provides the professional
    with an abstract topic guide.
    Aim. The purpose of

  12. Towards a Quality Assessment Method for Learning Preference Profiles in Negotiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hindriks, Koen V.; Tykhonov, Dmytro

    In automated negotiation, information gained about an opponent's preference profile by means of learning techniques may significantly improve an agent's negotiation performance. It therefore is useful to gain a better understanding of how various negotiation factors influence the quality of learning. The quality of learning techniques in negotiation are typically assessed indirectly by means of comparing the utility levels of agreed outcomes and other more global negotiation parameters. An evaluation of learning based on such general criteria, however, does not provide any insight into the influence of various aspects of negotiation on the quality of the learned model itself. The quality may depend on such aspects as the domain of negotiation, the structure of the preference profiles, the negotiation strategies used by the parties, and others. To gain a better understanding of the performance of proposed learning techniques in the context of negotiation and to be able to assess the potential to improve the performance of such techniques a more systematic assessment method is needed. In this paper we propose such a systematic method to analyse the quality of the information gained about opponent preferences by learning in single-instance negotiations. The method includes measures to assess the quality of a learned preference profile and proposes an experimental setup to analyse the influence of various negotiation aspects on the quality of learning. We apply the method to a Bayesian learning approach for learning an opponent's preference profile and discuss our findings.

  13. Preparing Students for Flipped or Team-Based Learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balan, Peter; Clark, Michele; Restall, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Teaching methods such as Flipped Learning and Team-Based Learning require students to pre-learn course materials before a teaching session, because classroom exercises rely on students using self-gained knowledge. This is the reverse to "traditional" teaching when course materials are presented during a lecture, and students are…

  14. A Review on Different Virtual Learning Methods in Pharmacy Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amin Noori

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Virtual learning is a type of electronic learning system based on the web. It models traditional in- person learning by providing virtual access to classes, tests, homework, feedbacks and etc. Students and teachers can interact through chat rooms or other virtual environments. Web 2.0 services are usually used for this method. Internet audio-visual tools, multimedia systems, a disco CD-ROMs, videotapes, animation, video conferencing, and interactive phones can all be used to deliver data to the students. E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It is time saving with lower costs compared to traditional methods. It can be self-paced, it is suitable for distance learning and it is flexible. It is a great learning style for continuing education and students can independently solve their problems but it has its disadvantages too. Thereby, blended learning (combination of conventional and virtual education is being used worldwide and has improved knowledge, skills and confidence of pharmacy students.The aim of this study is to review, discuss and introduce different methods of virtual learning for pharmacy students.Google scholar, Pubmed and Scupus databases were searched for topics related to virtual, electronic and blended learning and different styles like computer simulators, virtual practice environment technology, virtual mentor, virtual patient, 3D simulators, etc. are discussed in this article.Our review on different studies on these areas shows that the students are highly satisfied withvirtual and blended types of learning.

  15. Summary of Research on Online and Blended Learning Programs That Offer Differentiated Learning Options. REL 2017-228

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodersen, R. Marc; Melluzzo, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    This report summarizes the methodology, measures, and findings of research on the influence on student achievement outcomes of K-12 online and blended face-to-face and online learning programs that offer differentiated learning options. The report also describes the characteristics of the learning programs. Most of the examined programs used…

  16. A deep learning-based multi-model ensemble method for cancer prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Yawen; Wu, Jun; Lin, Zongli; Zhao, Xiaodong

    2018-01-01

    Cancer is a complex worldwide health problem associated with high mortality. With the rapid development of the high-throughput sequencing technology and the application of various machine learning methods that have emerged in recent years, progress in cancer prediction has been increasingly made based on gene expression, providing insight into effective and accurate treatment decision making. Thus, developing machine learning methods, which can successfully distinguish cancer patients from healthy persons, is of great current interest. However, among the classification methods applied to cancer prediction so far, no one method outperforms all the others. In this paper, we demonstrate a new strategy, which applies deep learning to an ensemble approach that incorporates multiple different machine learning models. We supply informative gene data selected by differential gene expression analysis to five different classification models. Then, a deep learning method is employed to ensemble the outputs of the five classifiers. The proposed deep learning-based multi-model ensemble method was tested on three public RNA-seq data sets of three kinds of cancers, Lung Adenocarcinoma, Stomach Adenocarcinoma and Breast Invasive Carcinoma. The test results indicate that it increases the prediction accuracy of cancer for all the tested RNA-seq data sets as compared to using a single classifier or the majority voting algorithm. By taking full advantage of different classifiers, the proposed deep learning-based multi-model ensemble method is shown to be accurate and effective for cancer prediction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Mixed methods for telehealth research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caffery, Liam J; Martin-Khan, Melinda; Wade, Victoria

    2017-10-01

    Mixed methods research is important to health services research because the integrated qualitative and quantitative investigation can give a more comprehensive understanding of complex interventions such as telehealth than can a single-method study. Further, mixed methods research is applicable to translational research and program evaluation. Study designs relevant to telehealth research are described and supported by examples. Quality assessment tools, frameworks to assist in the reporting and review of mixed methods research, and related methodologies are also discussed.

  18. Computer game-based and traditional learning method: a comparison regarding students' knowledge retention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rondon, Silmara; Sassi, Fernanda Chiarion; Furquim de Andrade, Claudia Regina

    2013-02-25

    Educational computer games are examples of computer-assisted learning objects, representing an educational strategy of growing interest. Given the changes in the digital world over the last decades, students of the current generation expect technology to be used in advancing their learning requiring a need to change traditional passive learning methodologies to an active multisensory experimental learning methodology. The objective of this study was to compare a computer game-based learning method with a traditional learning method, regarding learning gains and knowledge retention, as means of teaching head and neck Anatomy and Physiology to Speech-Language and Hearing pathology undergraduate students. Students were randomized to participate to one of the learning methods and the data analyst was blinded to which method of learning the students had received. Students' prior knowledge (i.e. before undergoing the learning method), short-term knowledge retention and long-term knowledge retention (i.e. six months after undergoing the learning method) were assessed with a multiple choice questionnaire. Students' performance was compared considering the three moments of assessment for both for the mean total score and for separated mean scores for Anatomy questions and for Physiology questions. Students that received the game-based method performed better in the pos-test assessment only when considering the Anatomy questions section. Students that received the traditional lecture performed better in both post-test and long-term post-test when considering the Anatomy and Physiology questions. The game-based learning method is comparable to the traditional learning method in general and in short-term gains, while the traditional lecture still seems to be more effective to improve students' short and long-term knowledge retention.

  19. Computer game-based and traditional learning method: a comparison regarding students’ knowledge retention

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rondon Silmara

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Educational computer games are examples of computer-assisted learning objects, representing an educational strategy of growing interest. Given the changes in the digital world over the last decades, students of the current generation expect technology to be used in advancing their learning requiring a need to change traditional passive learning methodologies to an active multisensory experimental learning methodology. The objective of this study was to compare a computer game-based learning method with a traditional learning method, regarding learning gains and knowledge retention, as means of teaching head and neck Anatomy and Physiology to Speech-Language and Hearing pathology undergraduate students. Methods Students were randomized to participate to one of the learning methods and the data analyst was blinded to which method of learning the students had received. Students’ prior knowledge (i.e. before undergoing the learning method, short-term knowledge retention and long-term knowledge retention (i.e. six months after undergoing the learning method were assessed with a multiple choice questionnaire. Students’ performance was compared considering the three moments of assessment for both for the mean total score and for separated mean scores for Anatomy questions and for Physiology questions. Results Students that received the game-based method performed better in the pos-test assessment only when considering the Anatomy questions section. Students that received the traditional lecture performed better in both post-test and long-term post-test when considering the Anatomy and Physiology questions. Conclusions The game-based learning method is comparable to the traditional learning method in general and in short-term gains, while the traditional lecture still seems to be more effective to improve students’ short and long-term knowledge retention.

  20. Research Methods in Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Check, Joseph; Schutt, Russell K.

    2011-01-01

    "Research Methods in Education" introduces research methods as an integrated set of techniques for investigating questions about the educational world. This lively, innovative text helps students connect technique and substance, appreciate the value of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and make ethical research decisions.…

  1. Conceptualizing Debates in Learning and Educational Research: Toward a Complex Systems Conceptual Framework of Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobson, Michael J.; Kapur, Manu; Reimann, Peter

    2016-01-01

    This article proposes a conceptual framework of learning based on perspectives and methodologies being employed in the study of complex physical and social systems to inform educational research. We argue that the contexts in which learning occurs are complex systems with elements or agents at different levels--including neuronal, cognitive,…

  2. Community-Based Research (CBR in the Education Doctorate: Lessons Learned and Promising Practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laurie Stevahn

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Community-based research (CBR is an advanced form of academic service-learning through which university students, faculty, and community organizations collaborate to conduct inquiry projects aimed at producing social change. Despite its potential for advancing learning in graduate studies, little research exists on CBR implementations or outcomes in doctoral programs. This study examined the effectiveness of integrating CBR into an educational leadership doctorate across three consecutive cohorts in which students worked in teams to conduct CBR projects, each in partnership with a community organization pursuing a social justice initiative. A mixed-methods developmental case study design produced quantitative and qualitative data on students’ perceived effectiveness of cooperative/collaborative interaction and team decision making in CBR, experience with and learning from CBR in the education doctorate, and development of CBR competencies. Triangulated results overall revealed students’ (a positive attitudes toward CBR, (b enhanced understanding of and commitment to CBR and how to conduct it, (c expanded understanding and application of technical research skills, (d growth in coopera-tive/collaborative and conflict resolution skills, and (e development of leadership project management skills. These findings may assist faculty in planning innovative, authentic, applied, professional training in the education doctorate capable of advancing students’ graduate inquiry skills while also enhancing competencies for successful leadership in the field.

  3. Two Undergraduate Process Modeling Courses Taught Using Inductive Learning Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soroush, Masoud; Weinberger, Charles B.

    2010-01-01

    This manuscript presents a successful application of inductive learning in process modeling. It describes two process modeling courses that use inductive learning methods such as inquiry learning and problem-based learning, among others. The courses include a novel collection of multi-disciplinary complementary process modeling examples. They were…

  4. Density of Visual Input Enhancement and Grammar Learning: A Research Proposal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Thu Hoang

    2009-01-01

    Research in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) has been done to ascertain the effectiveness of visual input enhancement (VIE) on grammar learning. However, one issue remains unexplored: the effects of VIE density on grammar learning. This paper presents a research proposal to investigate the effects of the density of VIE on English…

  5. On Combining Elements of Different Ways of Learning, Methods and Knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dušana Findeisen

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with different thinkers' attitude towards methods in adult education. It examines the value of some elements of »trial and error learning« and »non-directive learning«. Like a multifaceted approach based on elements drawn from different methods, the way we learn can also be eclectic.  To illustrate this assertion, the author analyses the »anti method« used by Maurice Pialat, a French film director, contrasting it with methods in which the aim is set in advance and the process leading towards it is organised in sequences. This is most often the case in script-based shooting of films, directing a theatre performance or running adult education. Moreover, the author argues that learning about how to do something is combined with learning about how to be. She further emphasises that methods should not be used to impose one’s knowledge and one’s reality on the learner, thus destroying circumstances necessary for gaining or creating knowledge.

  6. A Call to Action for Research in Digital Learning: Learning without Limits of Time, Place, Path, Pace…or Evidence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavanaugh, Cathy; Sessums, Christopher; Drexler, Wendy

    2015-01-01

    This essay is a call for rethinking our approach to research in digital learning. It plots a path founded in social trends and advances in education. A brief review of these trends and advances is followed by discussion of what flattened research might look like at scale. Scaling research in digital learning is crucial to advancing understanding…

  7. Utility of learning plans in general practice vocational training: a mixed-methods national study of registrar, supervisor, and educator perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garth, Belinda; Kirby, Catherine; Silberberg, Peter; Brown, James

    2016-08-19

    Learning plans are a compulsory component of the training and assessment requirements of general practice (GP) registrars in Australia. There is a small but growing number of studies reporting that learning plans are not well accepted or utilised in general practice training. There is a lack of research examining this apparent contradiction. The aim of this study was to examine use and perceived utility of formal learning plans in GP vocational training. This mixed-method Australian national research project utilised online learning plan usage data from 208 GP registrars and semi-structured focus groups and telephone interviews with 35 GP registrars, 12 recently fellowed GPs, 16 supervisors and 17 medical educators across three Regional Training Providers (RTPs). Qualitative data were analysed thematically using template analysis. Learning plans were used mostly as a log of activities rather than as a planning tool. Most learning needs were entered and ticked off as complete on the same day. Learning plans were perceived as having little value for registrars in their journey to becoming a competent GP, and as a bureaucratic hurdle serving as a distraction rather than an aid to learning. The process of learning planning was valued more so than the documentation of learning planning. This study provides creditable evidence that mandated learning plans are broadly considered by users to be a bureaucratic impediment with little value as a learning tool. It is more important to support registrars in planning their learning than to enforce documentation of this process in a learning plan. If learning planning is to be an assessed competence, methods of assessment other than the submission of a formal learning plan should be explored.

  8. Machine learning methods can replace 3D profile method in classification of amyloidogenic hexapeptides

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanislawski Jerzy

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Amyloids are proteins capable of forming fibrils. Many of them underlie serious diseases, like Alzheimer disease. The number of amyloid-associated diseases is constantly increasing. Recent studies indicate that amyloidogenic properties can be associated with short segments of aminoacids, which transform the structure when exposed. A few hundreds of such peptides have been experimentally found. Experimental testing of all possible aminoacid combinations is currently not feasible. Instead, they can be predicted by computational methods. 3D profile is a physicochemical-based method that has generated the most numerous dataset - ZipperDB. However, it is computationally very demanding. Here, we show that dataset generation can be accelerated. Two methods to increase the classification efficiency of amyloidogenic candidates are presented and tested: simplified 3D profile generation and machine learning methods. Results We generated a new dataset of hexapeptides, using more economical 3D profile algorithm, which showed very good classification overlap with ZipperDB (93.5%. The new part of our dataset contains 1779 segments, with 204 classified as amyloidogenic. The dataset of 6-residue sequences with their binary classification, based on the energy of the segment, was applied for training machine learning methods. A separate set of sequences from ZipperDB was used as a test set. The most effective methods were Alternating Decision Tree and Multilayer Perceptron. Both methods obtained area under ROC curve of 0.96, accuracy 91%, true positive rate ca. 78%, and true negative rate 95%. A few other machine learning methods also achieved a good performance. The computational time was reduced from 18-20 CPU-hours (full 3D profile to 0.5 CPU-hours (simplified 3D profile to seconds (machine learning. Conclusions We showed that the simplified profile generation method does not introduce an error with regard to the original method, while

  9. Machine learning methods can replace 3D profile method in classification of amyloidogenic hexapeptides.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanislawski, Jerzy; Kotulska, Malgorzata; Unold, Olgierd

    2013-01-17

    Amyloids are proteins capable of forming fibrils. Many of them underlie serious diseases, like Alzheimer disease. The number of amyloid-associated diseases is constantly increasing. Recent studies indicate that amyloidogenic properties can be associated with short segments of aminoacids, which transform the structure when exposed. A few hundreds of such peptides have been experimentally found. Experimental testing of all possible aminoacid combinations is currently not feasible. Instead, they can be predicted by computational methods. 3D profile is a physicochemical-based method that has generated the most numerous dataset - ZipperDB. However, it is computationally very demanding. Here, we show that dataset generation can be accelerated. Two methods to increase the classification efficiency of amyloidogenic candidates are presented and tested: simplified 3D profile generation and machine learning methods. We generated a new dataset of hexapeptides, using more economical 3D profile algorithm, which showed very good classification overlap with ZipperDB (93.5%). The new part of our dataset contains 1779 segments, with 204 classified as amyloidogenic. The dataset of 6-residue sequences with their binary classification, based on the energy of the segment, was applied for training machine learning methods. A separate set of sequences from ZipperDB was used as a test set. The most effective methods were Alternating Decision Tree and Multilayer Perceptron. Both methods obtained area under ROC curve of 0.96, accuracy 91%, true positive rate ca. 78%, and true negative rate 95%. A few other machine learning methods also achieved a good performance. The computational time was reduced from 18-20 CPU-hours (full 3D profile) to 0.5 CPU-hours (simplified 3D profile) to seconds (machine learning). We showed that the simplified profile generation method does not introduce an error with regard to the original method, while increasing the computational efficiency. Our new dataset

  10. Making a Case for E - learning: Experiences in E-learning at ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Making a Case for E - learning: Experiences in E-learning at Langston University ... performances can surpass those of students in traditional learning settings. ... The research method was qualitative based mainly on participatory and ...

  11. University-affiliated schools as sites for research learning in pre ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hennie

    University-affiliated schools as sites for research learning in pre-service teacher education ... they can also learn from good example, in well-functioning schools, where they can also get .... school can offer in terms of signs and tools to achieve.

  12. Development of a nursing education program for improving Chinese undergraduates' self-directed learning: A mixed-method study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Ying; Li, Liping; Xu, Qunyan; Jiang, Anli

    2015-11-01

    This paper demonstrates the establishment of an extra-curricular education program in Chinese context and evaluates its effectiveness on undergraduate nursing students' self-directed learning. Zimmerman's self-directed learning model was used as the theoretical framework for the development of an education program. Mixed-method was applied in this research study. 165 undergraduate students from a nursing college were divided into experimental group (n=32) and control group (n=133). Pre- and post-tests were implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this education program using the self-directed learning scale of nursing undergraduates. Qualitative interview was undertaken within participants from the experimental group to obtain their insights into the influence of this program. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that the program contributed to nursing students' self-directed learning ability. In the experimental group, the post-test score showed an increase compared with pretest score (plearning activities and influence on learning environment. It can be found in the qualitative analysis that learners benefited from this program. The education program contributes to the improvement of nursing undergraduates' self-directed learning. Various pedagogic methods could be applied for self-directed learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The Effect of Using Cooperative Learning Method on Tenth Grade Students' Learning Achievement and Attitude towards Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabgay, Tshewang

    2018-01-01

    The study investigated the effect of using cooperative learning method on tenth grade students' learning achievement in biology and their attitude towards the subject in a Higher Secondary School in Bhutan. The study used a mixed method approach. The quantitative component included an experimental design where cooperative learning was the…

  14. Collaborative Action Research on Technology Integration for Science Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chien-hsing; Ke, Yi-Ting; Wu, Jin-Tong; Hsu, Wen-Hua

    2012-01-01

    This paper briefly reports the outcomes of an action research inquiry on the use of blogs, MS PowerPoint [PPT], and the Internet as learning tools with a science class of sixth graders for project-based learning. Multiple sources of data were essential to triangulate the key findings articulated in this paper. Corresponding to previous studies,…

  15. A heuristic method for simulating open-data of arbitrary complexity that can be used to compare and evaluate machine learning methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Jason H; Shestov, Maksim; Schmitt, Peter; Olson, Randal S

    2018-01-01

    A central challenge of developing and evaluating artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for regression and classification is access to data that illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of different methods. Open data plays an important role in this process by making it easy for computational researchers to easily access real data for this purpose. Genomics has in some examples taken a leading role in the open data effort starting with DNA microarrays. While real data from experimental and observational studies is necessary for developing computational methods it is not sufficient. This is because it is not possible to know what the ground truth is in real data. This must be accompanied by simulated data where that balance between signal and noise is known and can be directly evaluated. Unfortunately, there is a lack of methods and software for simulating data with the kind of complexity found in real biological and biomedical systems. We present here the Heuristic Identification of Biological Architectures for simulating Complex Hierarchical Interactions (HIBACHI) method and prototype software for simulating complex biological and biomedical data. Further, we introduce new methods for developing simulation models that generate data that specifically allows discrimination between different machine learning methods.

  16. Galileo Educational Network: Creating, Researching, and Supporting 21st Century Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friesen, Sharon

    2009-01-01

    School and classroom structures designed to meet the needs of the industrial past cannot "maintain the temperature required for sustaining life." Recent learning sciences research findings compel educators to invent new learning environments better suited to meet the demands of the 21st century. These new learning environments require…

  17. Learning and Emotion: Perspectives for Theory and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hascher, Tina

    2010-01-01

    There is growing interest in and knowledge about the interplay of learning and emotion. However, the different approaches and empirical studies correspond to each other only to a low extent. To prevent this research field from increasing fragmentation, a shared basis of theory and research is needed. The presentation aims at giving an overview of…

  18. The Present Affairs and Issues of Research on Collaborative Learning in Mathematics Education

    OpenAIRE

    松島, 充

    2014-01-01

    In this research, at first, the previous work of collaborative learning and cooperative learning was investigated on learning sciences and cognitive psychology. It is clarified the difference of interde-pendent, of the epistemology and of the subject who construct knowledge. The secondly, investigation since 1990 of the collaborative learning research in mathematics educa-tion was conducted based on eight sorts of mathematics education academic journals, and the present affairs and the issues...

  19. Learning in Non-Stationary Environments Methods and Applications

    CERN Document Server

    Lughofer, Edwin

    2012-01-01

    Recent decades have seen rapid advances in automatization processes, supported by modern machines and computers. The result is significant increases in system complexity and state changes, information sources, the need for faster data handling and the integration of environmental influences. Intelligent systems, equipped with a taxonomy of data-driven system identification and machine learning algorithms, can handle these problems partially. Conventional learning algorithms in a batch off-line setting fail whenever dynamic changes of the process appear due to non-stationary environments and external influences.   Learning in Non-Stationary Environments: Methods and Applications offers a wide-ranging, comprehensive review of recent developments and important methodologies in the field. The coverage focuses on dynamic learning in unsupervised problems, dynamic learning in supervised classification and dynamic learning in supervised regression problems. A later section is dedicated to applications in which dyna...

  20. Emergent frameworks of research teaching and learning in a cohort ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... frameworks for doctoral pedagogies –“democratic teaching/learning participation”, “structured scaffolding”, “Ubuntu” and “serendipity”– as useful explanatory shaping influences which underpin and frame the model promoting a contextually relevant and appropriate doctoral research teaching and learning pedagogy.